Watch CBS News

1988: Chicago aldermen come after controversial artwork depicting Harold Washington

Name: 1988: Chicago aldermen come after controversial artwork depicting Harold Washington
Uploaded: 2025-02-05T15:07:00-0600
Duration: 2 min 48 s
Description: On May 11, 1988, David K. Nelson Jr., a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, displayed his painting “Mirth & Girth” — which depicted the late Mayor Harold Washington in a bra, panties, and a garter belt. As Linda MacLennan reports for Channel 2 News, some alders found the painting so offensive that they came to the School of the Art Institute to take it down.

On May 11, 1988, David K. Nelson Jr., a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, displayed his painting “Mirth & Girth” — which depicted the late Mayor Harold Washington in a bra, panties, and a garter belt. As Linda MacLennan reports for Channel 2 News, some alders found the painting so offensive that they came to the School of the Art Institute to take it down.