Departure of the Joads, from The Grapes of Wrath

This lithograph, "Departure of the Joads, from The Grapes of Wrath," is attributed to William Hart, a Scottish-born American landscape and cattle painter known for his Hudson River School artistry. However, the given artwork year of 1939 falls well after Hart's death in 1894, making this attribution implausible. It is highly probable that this artwork is by a different artist named William Hart, possibly William S. Hart, who was active in the 20th century and created works like "Cotton Pickers" and "Cradling Wheat" around the same period, aligning with the themes and medium of this piece. If we consider it by the Hudson River School artist, it would be an anachronism. The work likely depicts a scene from John Steinbeck's iconic novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," which chronicled the struggles of migrant families during the Great Depression. The medium of lithography, a popular printmaking technique, would have allowed for wider dissemination of such powerful social commentary.