Trap/Net evokes a New England seaside town, no doubt the type that Sam Thal would have witnessed on day trips from his adopted city of Boston. This humble, sun-soaked village scene features a few modest homes, a small dock with boats, and a winding dirt road. At the exact center of the composition three men repair a wavy pinkish-brown net. Its curving lines draw the eye and contrasts with the rectilinear quality of most other elements in the scene. Thal’s realistic focus on laborers conformed to the style and subject choices made by many artists employed by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). And while Trap/Net postdates the Federal Art Project, it nonetheless captures the socially engaged essence of WPA art.