Laying the Bets 1937

Minna Citron created this lithograph print, Laying the Bets. Citron's social realism emerged during the interwar period, a time of economic hardship and shifting social values. Note how the working-class men huddle around a roulette-style wheel as if for warmth and comfort. The men appear as a collective, their identities submerged into one another. The figure operating the game stands apart. The print invites us to think about the role of chance and desperation in the lives of working-class men during the early to mid 20th century. Citron’s focus on class and labor, especially within the context of the Great Depression, offers a compelling commentary on the economic anxieties of the time. Here, Citron creates a narrative that exposes the vulnerability of working-class men, highlighting the emotional toll of economic instability.