Untitled

Wharton, who was a Wofford College art student and eventually the head of the art department at the University of Maryland, was well known for his portraits of high-profile political and military personages. Here, though, Wharton has chosen to depict an anonymous flower vendor, reminiscent of the familiar Broad Street florists of Charleston. Her environment is blurred and her gaze is inscrutable, making her an apt representative for a street-based gig-economy that too often erases the identity and individuality of its workers.