The Problem We All Live With is a 1964 painting by
Norman Rockwell. An iconic image of the
Civil Rights Movement in the
United States, it depicts
Ruby Bridges, a six-year-old
African-American girl, on her way into an all-white public school in
New Orleans on November 14, 1960 during the process of
racial desegregation. Because of threats and violence against her, she is escorted by four
deputy U.S. marshals; the painting is framed such that the marshals' heads are cropped at the shoulders. On the wall behind her is written the racial slur "
nigger" and the letters "
KKK"; a smashed tomato thrown at Bridges is also visible. The white crowd is not visible, as the viewer is looking at the scene from their point of view. The painting is oil on canvas and measures high by wide.