The Washington delegation shares a class pet of sorts: an undated, unattributed painting of a fuzzy yellow chick freshly hatched from the egg, a bright subject against a solid black background.
On Friday, all 10 House members from Washington state gathered in Rep. Emily Randall’s office to celebrate the custodial transfer of “The Chick.” None of the members loves the piece for its artistic merits, not even the original owner. According to lore, Rep. Joel Pritchard was gifted the painting in 1972 by a friend who purchased it at a charity auction. Pritchard started the bipartisan tradition by bequeathing it to newly elected Rep. Norman Dicks a few years later.
“I guess you could loosely say that this was art, right?” Rep. Dan Newhouse mused.
