The Irishman Wouldn't Wear Green, Saturday Evening Post illustration , group of 2, March 18, 1961 1961

Curator: Well, what a find! This is “The Irishman Wouldn’t Wear Green, Saturday Evening Post illustration”, one of a group of two, created in 1961 by Robert G. Harris. I’m struck by the story it tells in just a single frame. Editor: I am immediately drawn in by the contrasting emotions. The hopeful anticipation in the red-headed man’s face jars against the hard glare from the waitress. The subdued tones give a slightly ominous feel, a tension underlying a seemingly normal scene. Curator: The artist, Harris, worked for years crafting images for popular publications, really capturing the pulse of mid-century America, you know? Consider the role these illustrations played in shaping perceptions of gender roles, ethnicity, and social expectations. The “Irishman” defying convention adds a layer of cultural commentary. Editor: Yes, I see how we might read against a very constrained performative aspect here. The work begs questions about what that convention really is! Why the pressure to conform and why the reaction when someone refuses? Who is policing this behaviour and what powers are in play? Curator: Absolutely. This illustration’s public role back then would have sparked dialogues around identity, challenging some while reinforcing norms for others. Now, the scene is pretty straightforward – we're in what looks like a soda shop or diner. An Irishman sipping on something through a green straw… perhaps pointedly NOT wearing green clothing. The waitress is pointedly green and judging. Editor: We should really examine this further in relationship with that knowing look of the man who DOES conform to the colour standard. There is an expression, an apparent complicity that leaves me wondering exactly what part Harris meant for him to play. Is that intended judgement, and, if so, how do we read that today? Curator: Exactly. The work sits at this really interesting juncture where social commentary meets popular culture. This gives the picture its power to, even now, encourage and challenge perspectives about representation, expectation, and tradition. Editor: A potent slice of life—with potent historical reverberations, for sure. Thank you for bringing the multiple layers in Harris’s oil painting into focus. Curator: A pleasure. It's in reflecting together that we tease out all the complexities and that gives his paintings that enduring hold on the public imagination.