Naturalization ceremony of Henry Sugimoto and thirteen other people becoming U.S. citizens in 1953. Henry Sugimoto stands on a yellow and grey checkered floor with his right hand over his heart between a man in a brown suit and an elderly woman in brown bent over a cane. He faces the viewer in a blue suit, striped red and navy tie and glasses. Behind him stand three more rows of eleven men and women of different ages and ethnicities. They hold white sheets of paper in their hands. On the left a man in a black suit stands in profile on a tan carpet, facing the new citizens, with right hand over his heart. Behind him is a stand with the American flag capped by a golden eagle and a framed portrait of George Washington hanging on the wall. A guard salutes in the background under a sign with the pledge of allegiance. A white sign with black print, "Department of Immigration/Naturalization Office," hangs at top center on grey wall above molding and date, "1953," in white print.

Inscription
Signed in medium, bottom left center: H. Sugimoto

painting
H: 38 in, W: 51.375 in
canvas
oil

New York, N.Y., c. 1975

(92.97.120)

Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, Japanese American National Museum

Henry Sugimoto Collection

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