Object number2003.43.3

Trouble in Frisco

Datec. 1935

Artist Fletcher Martin (American, 1904-1979)

CultureAmerican

MediumCrayon lithograph in black ink on cream laid paper

DimensionsSight: 12 1/2 x 12 1/4 in. (31.75 x 31.12 cm)

Credit LineGift of Susan and Steven Hirsch, class of 1971

Period20th c

Classification(s)

SignedBottom margin, just outside comp., graphite: 7.M

Label TextIn 1934, maritime workers across the West Coast organized a high-stakes strike to rally against unjust conditions. The protest lasted more than two months and faced harsh opposition from local governments, especially in San Francisco, where violent clashes between strikers, police, and strikebreakers erupted. Here, artist Fletcher Martin depicted one such struggle, transformed into a quasi-epic combat between muscular laborers. Framed by a ship’s porthole, Trouble in Frisco features a dockworker—marked by an anchor tattoo on his arm—overtaking a kneeling strikebreaker. While this illustration offered a dramatic and universalized memorial to the conflict, contemporary newspapers provided readers with more sensationalized accounts. Following a deadly confrontation between strikers and the National Guard, the San Francisco Chronicle published the headline “Troops Guard Front!” alongside a photo of officers arresting strikers. Describing the same event, the Communist newspaper The Daily Worker offered the front-page headline “‘Shoot to Kill’ Order to Troops in Dock Strike,” adjoined by images of streets filled with tear gas and embattled workers.

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