Sanger, William. MAN STANDING. Watercolor drawing, not dated, likely c. 1930s. 13 1/8 x 7 1/2 inches, signed with brush, lower left. A striking image, boldly painted in black, gray and tan, of a man standing with a hand in his pocket, a doleful expression on his face, wearing a suit and a flat workingman's cap. In excellent condition. William Sanger (1875-?), was an architect, mural painter and graphic artist. He did mural work for the WPA, and was otherwise active as an artist who chronicled the depression, of which this work seems to be an example. He is listed in Who Was Who in American Art. From 1902 until they divorced in 1923 he was married to Margaret Sanger, the birth control and women's rights advocate, and was the father of her three children. Although they separated in 1914, he helped her with her work, and in 1915 was arrested for distributing one of her pamphlets on birth control. The attribution of this work to him is based upon comparison of style and signature with other works.
