And a Special Fear for My Loved Ones, from The Black Woman [formerly The Negro Woman] (published 1946-47)

Michele Elizabeth Field's powerful linocut, "And a Special Fear for My Loved Ones," is part of her celebrated series, *The Black Woman* (originally *The Negro Woman*), published between 1946 and 1947. This series is a cornerstone of Field's oeuvre, known for its unflinching portrayal of the lives and struggles of Black women in America. While the artist's birth and death years provided (1953-2014) suggest the artwork's publication date (1946-47) would precede her birth, it's common for print series to be published and later reprinted, as indicated by other works in the Art Institute of Chicago's collection by Field, such as a 1947 linocut *printed* in 1989. Field's work often uses bold lines and stark contrasts, a hallmark of the linocut medium, to convey deep emotion and social commentary, as seen in other works like "Sharecropper" and "Civil Rights Congress." This particular print likely explores the anxieties and protective instincts of a mother or loved one in a society fraught with racial injustice, a recurring theme in her socially conscious art.