KP Dawes

The Tamale Lady

5 hours ago

Black-and-white sketch of a woman in a cap pushing a tamale cart down a city street. — The Tamale Lady, digital illustration.

I've lived on the same streets on the northwest side of Chicago for 40 years. The old blocks have changed some in those four decades, but not much. Most of the houses are the same. A good number of the people too.

The old neighborhood is today as it always has been: a refuge for the immigrant working class. Poles and Mexicans mainly, along with some Italian and Irish holdouts.

For as long as I can remember the neighborhood was full of pushcarts. A steady traffic of steaming old-country dishes and bright sodas poured from big liter bottles.

My favorite was the tamale lady from up the block. You could set your watch by the tamale lady.

Dressed all in black she'd come up the street at exactly 2:30pm every day, chiming her bicycle bell as she headed toward the nearby public school. There she'd set up camp on the corner and peddle hot shredded chicken tamales until foot traffic died down. Then she'd head to the park in time for baseball practice.

Her tamales were good. Homemade, Oaxacan style. Always served with a bright salsa verde. And always cheap.

I haven't seen the tamale lady all summer. Most of the pushcarts have been absent this year. But the old neighborhood is full of signs that weren't there before. They read: Keep ICE Out of Chicago.

Portrait Sketches - August 2026

Aug 21

Black-and-white sketch of a bearded man in a cap and glasses, wearing a white shirt; KPD is signed on his shirt. — Bobbi, digital illustration.

The "dog days of summer" is an expression that goes back to Ancient Greece, as it is in late summer that Sirius, the "Dog Star" in the constellation Canis Major, rises and sets with the Sun.

Sketch of a bald man with glasses in a black shirt and suspenders, standing against a white background with smoky doodles. — THAT neighbor, digital illustration.

Before science proved otherwise, the ancients believed that Sirius contributed to the sun's heat, rising late summer temperatures.

Black-and-white sketch of a stern woman with curly hair in an off-shoulder black top, against a faint abstract background. — Delores, digital illustration.

The ancients, particularly the Romans who were obsessed with signs and omens, also believed that the dog days of summer brought with them bad tidings, drought, and disaster.

As of this posting, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the dog days of summer have already passed, but as is often the case in times of great historical upheaval, the bad tidings continue with little regard for the calendar.

Portrait Sketches - July 2026

Jul 25

Black-and-white sketch of a serious man in a suit and tie against a white background, with KPD signed on the shoulder. — Michael, digital illustration.

Studies from the corpo world this month. Mainly pulled from digital boxes on my computer screen. Hundreds of talking heads, buoyed by squared shoulders and neutral faces.

Black-and-white sketch portrait of a solemn person with long dark hair and a curled forehead lock, on a white background, signed KPD. — Trinn, digital illustration.

Stare. Blink. Underreact. Smile, whenever appropriate. A friend of mine said that operating in the corporate world is acting. "That's why they call them performance reviews," she told me.

Black-and-white sketch of a stern man in a suit and tie on a white background, with KPD in the lower right corner. — Billard, digital illustration.

The top corpo guys never perform, but they certainly demand it. "We who are about to die salute you..." or something to that affect.

KP Dawes

Sub for new art drops!