Walter’s Thanksgiving, 1951

Oil on Canvas, 15” x 20”

This painting depicts Thanksgiving dinner at 500 S. Mildred St. in 1951. Willis' great-nephew, Walter Washington, age 3, is seated at the bottom center place. Only his hands in the foreground and his tiny reflection in the silver centerpiece are visible. He is busy feeding the green donkey a cranberry. Willis' observant eye caught that he is left-handed. The stuffed prairie dog, sent by an Arizona cousin, was a favorite of children in the family. The silver centerpiece, known as the "Loving Cup," came from Mt. Vernon, as did the blue and white china.