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Museum of Art
CIV at the MOA

The Promised Land

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Mahonri M. Young (1877–1957), The Promised Land, c.1940, oil on canvas, 49 x 55 1/16 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchase/gift of Mahonri M. Young Estate.

MAHONRI M. YOUNG (1877–1957)

Young painted this unfinished portrayal of four down-and-out men in 1930, the year after the 1929 stock market crash that spawned widespread unemployment. Preliminary sketches for the painting indicate that the setting is Central Park in New York City. The dark clothing and full beards of most of the men suggest their immigrant status, as does the ironic title of the work. Between 1829 and 1954, millions of people from many countries immigrated to the United States through New York Harbor hoping to find their land of promise in America.

Curricular Resources

The MOA has created suggested discussion prompts and assignments for BYU CIV faculty and students to use. Each assignment is based on themes that correspond with GE learning outcomes.

View Curricular Resources Related to This Work:
20th Century Immigration