Your search found 70 result(s).
-
Arty (Centerpiece)
- Created by
- Stevens, Nelson, American, born 1938
- Subject of
- Turner Crawford, Arlene, American
- AfriCOBRA, founded 1968
- Medium
- acrylic paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 50 × 50 × 2 in. (127 × 127 × 5.1 cm)
- Type
- acrylic paintings
- portraits
- Date
- 1970
- Description
- This is an abstract acrylic painting depicting a woman from the neck up. Done in a color palette of red, orange, blue, and purple, the woman's form is made up of clusters of rounded and abstract pools of color. Viewed slightly from below, she faces forward and gazes upward.
- Topic
- African American
- Activism
- Art
- Identity
- Professional organizations
- Religion
- Women
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2016.73
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Nelson Stevens. Permission required for use.
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Saint John The Baptist
- Created by
- Wiley, Kehinde, American, born 1977
- Subject of
- Fletcher, Craig
- Medium
- gold leaf and oil paint on wood panel with metal
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (overall- framed): 40 × 24 × 4 1/8 in. (101.6 × 61 × 10.5 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- portraits
- mixed media
- Date
- 2014
- Description
- Mixed media painting of Craig Fletcher based on Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint John the Baptist. The work has 22-karat gold leaf decoration. The painting shows Fletcher in the center. He is wearing a black t-shirt with blue letters and jeans. He is visible from the torso up with his head titled to the side. Fletcher’s right arm is raised in front of his chest and his other hand is resting on his hip. There are flowers in various colors with green stems around the edges and over top of the central figure. The oil painting has an architectural frame with columns and a raised base. [CRAIG FLETCHER] is painted stylistically in red below the painting. The painting is inset in a detailed architecture frame. There is a painted red star in the upper center of the frame. The wood panel is visible on the reverse and there is a label from the Sean Kelly Gallery with artwork information. There is metal hardware, including D-rings, screws, and brackets, on the reverse.The artist signed and dated the work on the back.
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Clothing and dress
- Identity
- Religion
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of The Martin Z. Margulies Foundation, Miami, FL
- Object number
- 2017.105
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Kehinde Wiley. Permission required for use.
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Portfolio/Series
- Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Painting of a city skyline by Dawud Anyabwile
- Created by
- Anyabwile, Dawud
- Subject of
- Big City Entertainment, Inc., American, founded 2007
- Medium
- acrylic on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (frame): 45 1/4 × 57 1/16 × 2 1/2 in. (115 × 145 × 6.4 cm)
- Type
- paintings
- Place made
- United States, North and Central America
- Date
- 2009
- Description
- A color painting of the skyline of Big City, the fictional city in the comic book series Brotherman. The buildings are brightly colored red, blue, green and yellow. Many of the buildings are leaning at angles or curved with the angles and curves becoming more pronounced the farther away they are depicted. Several of the buildings have signs. A building at the center of the painting has statues on the top. The sky is dark blue with white clouds. Written at the bottom right corner is “© DAWUD / ANYABWILE.”
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Comics and graphic novels
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Brotherman Comics / Big City Entertainment, Inc.
- Object number
- 2017.116.5.3
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Big City Entertainment, Inc.
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Memorabilia and Ephemera
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
YOUNG BROTHERMAN
- Illustrated by
- Anyabwile, Dawud
- Written by
- Sims, Guy A.
- Subject of
- Big City Entertainment, Inc., American, founded 2007
- Medium
- acrylic on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 48 1/16 × 35 7/8 × 1 3/16 in. (122 × 91.2 × 3 cm)
- Type
- paintings
- Place made
- United States, North and Central America
- Date
- 2008
- Description
- A black and white painting titled YOUNG BROTHERMAN by Dawud Anyabwile. The painting is of Brotherman’s face. The left side of his face is facing towards the viewer. He is wearing a black mask over his eyes and has his lips slightly parted. Black text at the top of the painting reads “SUDDENLY THIS BECAME SERIOUS / …DEAD SERIOUS!” The painting has a white border. The painting is signed and inscribed on the back.
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Comics and graphic novels
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Brotherman Comics / Big City Entertainment, Inc.
- Object number
- 2017.116.5.6
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Big City Entertainment, Inc.
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Memorabilia and Ephemera
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Brotherman First Painting
- Created by
- Anyabwile, Dawud
- Subject of
- Big City Comics, Inc., American, 1989 - 1996
- Medium
- acrylic on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 56 11/16 × 56 11/16 × 1 3/4 in. (144 × 144 × 4.5 cm)
- Type
- paintings
- Place made
- East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
- Date
- 1992
- Description
- A color painting of Brotherman by Dawud Anyabwile. The image depicts Brotherman from the waist up. He is wearing a blue suit with a large “B” on his forehead and another “B” on his chest. His arms are extended out towards the viewer and his hands are clenched in fists. “BROTHERMAN” is written in blue stylized text above the image. “Dictator of Discipline” is written in white stylized text across the bottom of the image. Written in silver paint in the bottom right corner is “©DAViD J. A. SiMS 1992.”
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Comics and graphic novels
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Brotherman Comics / Big City Entertainment, Inc.
- Object number
- 2017.116.5.7
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Big City Entertainment, Inc.
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Memorabilia and Ephemera
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Wives of Sango
- Created by
- Donaldson, Jeff, American, 1932 - 2004
- Subject of
- AfriCOBRA, founded 1968
- Medium
- paint, foil, and ink on cardboard
- Dimensions
- H x W (artwork): 36 1/4 × 25 9/16 in. (92 × 65 cm)
- H x W x D (frame): 38 1/16 × 27 7/16 × 1 3/4 in. (96.7 × 69.7 × 4.5 cm)
- Type
- paintings
- mixed media
- Date
- 1971
- Description
- This mixed media artwork by Jeff Donaldson shows the Wives of Sango. Three women are visible in the painting. The woman in the center is facing outward dressed in white. The other two women are in 3/4 profile facing either side of the frame. The woman on the left is dressed in shades of red and pink with a silver-colored diamond patterned neckline with small cutouts. The woman on the right is wearing a headband and is dressed in shades of green and yellow. All three women have gold- and silver-colored foil accents and are wearing weaponry including knives and ammunition belts. At the bottom in silver-colored foil is text that reads [OYA · OSUN / AND OBA WIVES OF SANGO]. At the center bottom is a double headed axe symbol. The artist signed the work at the bottom. The artwork is floating in a white frame.
- Topic
- African American
- Africa
- African diaspora
- Art
- Black power
- Religion
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2017.33.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Jeff Donaldson
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- On View
- Tate Modern (Bankside)
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
J.D. McClain’s Day in Court
- Created by
- Donaldson, Jeff, American, 1932 - 2004
- Subject of
- Jackson, Jonathan, American, 1953 - 1970
- Haley, Harold Joseph, American, 1904 - 1970
- Black Panther Party, American, 1966 - 1982
- AfriCOBRA, founded 1968
- Medium
- paint on cardboard with ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (artwork): 29 1/8 × 19 5/16 in. (74 × 49 cm)
- H x W x D (frame): 31 1/8 × 21 3/16 × 1 3/4 in. (79.1 × 53.8 × 4.5 cm)
- Type
- paintings
- mixed media
- Place depicted
- San Rafael, Marin County, California, United States, North and Central America
- Date
- 1970
- Description
- This mixed media work is Jeff Donaldson's interpretation of a photograph taken of the 1970 Marin County courthouse incident. The original newspaper photograph and caption can be seen in the center of the image. The figure on the left in the artwork has his left hand outstretched and the source image in the palm of his hand. In the original photograph, the man on the left is James McClain. In both images, he is holding a gun in his right hand at eye level pointed toward the figure on the right. Unlike McClain in the newspaper photograph, the man in the painting is wearing a black and white horizontally striped shirt with white numbers, [81970], on a black strip reminiscent of prison clothing. He is also wearing tan pants and a white jacket.
- The figure on the right in the original image is California Superior Court Judge Harold Haley dressed in black court dress robes. In Donaldson's mixed media piece, the black robes are partially visible but Haley's figure has a skull in place of his head and is reaching toward the man on the left. The piece is multicolored. In the center is black text on a white background that reads [GLASS] and repeats [-SS] below. To the left of the skull is [A] in the stars and stripes pattern of the American flag. The artist signed the work at the bottom. The artwork is floating in a white frame.
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Black power
- Law
- Mass media
- Prisons
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2017.33.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Jeff Donaldson
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Ghana Women Dancing
- Created by
- Biggers, John, American, 1924 - 2001
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Frame: 43 1/4 x 37 3/16 x 2 in. (109.9 x 94.5 x 5.1 cm)
- H x W (Canvas): 36 1/4 x 30 1/8 in. (92.1 x 76.5 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- Place made
- Houston, Harris County, Texas, United States, North and Central America
- Date
- 1968
- Description
- This is an oil painting of two dancing women. The women wear duku head ties, blouses, and floor-length skirts. The figure on the left has a skirt that wraps around her, with abstract color patterns in yellow and red tones. She wears a blue sleeveless blouse with a white pattern and an off-white head tie with yellow and red highlights. The woman stands with her body facing the viewer, head bent towards her left and bending forward from the waist. The woman next to her stands with her back to the viewer, wearing an off-white wrap skirt and blue short sleeve blouse with light blue pattern. She bends forward slightly from the waist, her left foot visible beneath her skirt. Behind them is a large green moon against a dark blue sky with white stars and constellations in the background.
- Topic
- African American
- Africa
- African diaspora
- Art
- Dance
- Women
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gerald and Anita Smith
- Object number
- 2012.162.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Estate of John Biggers. Permission required for use.
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Old Man
- Created by
- Biggers, John, American, 1924 - 2001
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Frame: 53 1/4 × 31 1/4 × 2 in. (135.3 × 79.4 × 5.1 cm)
- H x W (Canvas): 46 7/8 x 24 3/4 in. (119.1 x 62.9 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- Date
- 1946
- Description
- This is an oil painting depicting the figure of an old man. Wearing a long black coat and a narrow brimmed brown hat, he has shoulder length white hair. He holds a stick or cane with his right hand out in front of him and carries a wrinkled paper bag in his left hand. In the background are wooden structures. Made of wooden boards, they have peaked single roofs and tilt slightly. A partial window is visible behind the figure's left shoulder. The ground is represented by undulating waves in brownish-purple that flow under the figure's feet. The painting is signed by the artist in the lower left corner "Bigger 6-46."
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Communities
- Men
- Poverty
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gerald and Anita Smith
- Object number
- 2012.162.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Estate of John Biggers. Permission required for use.
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine
- Created by
- Nelson, Kadir, American, born 1974
- Subject of
- Lacks, Henrietta, American, 1920 - 1951
- Medium
- oil on linen
- Dimensions
- H x W (Painting): 59 1/2 × 49 1/2 in. (151.1 × 125.7 cm)
- H x W x D (Frame): 79 1/2 × 69 1/2 × 5 in. (201.9 × 176.5 × 12.7 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- portraits
- Date
- 2017
- Caption
- "Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer on October 4, 1951 at the age of 31. During an examination, cells were taken from her body without her knowledge or consent by a doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and were subsequently used to produce the world’s first immortal cell line, called HeLa. Henrietta’s cells were paramount to some of the most important advances and research in modern medicine, including the polio vaccine, chemotherapy, gene mapping, and in-vitro fertilization. Henrietta’s unique cells continue to be used extensively for medical research and development to this day.
- I elected to paint a prideful and glowing portrait of Henrietta lacks who is often referred to as, "The Mother of Modern Medicine," visually juxtaposing faith and science. Lacks smiles innocently. She stands with her beautifully manicured hands crossed, covering her womb (the birthplace of the immortal cell line) while cradling her beloved Bible (a symbol of her strong faith). Her deep red dress is covered with a vibrant floral pattern that recalls images of cell structure and division, while two of the four dime-sized buttons on her dress are noticeably missing (a reference to the cells that were taken from her body without her knowledge). Her bright yellow hat functions as a halo (recalling Renaissance paintings of the Madonna), while pearls (a symbol of the aggressive cancer that took her life) hang from her neck. The decorative wallpaper behind her forms a repeated hexagonal pattern, a design containing the "flower of life", an ancient symbol of immortality and exponential growth - two distinctive qualities of her rare and incredibly durable cells."
- -Kadir Nelson, 2017.
- Description
- Oil painting of Henrietta Lacks by Kadir Nelson. Lacks, smiling, is depicted standing in the center of the image. She is facing forward with her hands clasped in front of her body, holding a black book with gold-colored text [HOLY BIBLE]. Lacks is wearing a red dress with a white flower pattern and small belt. The dress has central buttons, with two (2) missing. There is a flower accessory with three (3) pearls in the center above the buttons. Lacks is wearing a wedding ring and a pearl necklaces and earrings. She has a cream and tan hat, the circular brim of which acts like a halo behind her head. Lacks is standing in front of a cream wall with a blue geometric "Flower of Life" motif. The work is signed in the lower right.
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and National Portrait Gallery, Gift from Kadir Nelson and the JKBN Group, LLC
- Object number
- 2018.25
- Restrictions & Rights
- © 2017, Kadir Nelson
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Walking
- Created by
- Alston, Charles Henry, American, 1907 - 1977
- Medium
- oil paint and gesso on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W: 48 3/8 x 64 3/4 x 1 1/4 in. (122.9 x 164.5 x 3.2 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- Place depicted
- Alabama, United States, North and Central America
- Date
- 1958
- Caption
- Walking recalls the bus boycotts in the 1950s and anticipated the civil rights marches of the 1960s. The work not only depicts the spirit and conviction of the civil rights protests, it also references the significant role of women and youth in the movement.
- Description
- This colorful, modernist painting depicts women and a young girl walking in front of a long line of others. The figures move out of a shadowy background on the left, towards the light, emanating from the upper right corner. The line appears to be moving forwards, out of the picture plane. The women leading the line step forward strongly to the viewer's right; their leg movements are delineated by the columns of strongly contrasting light and shadow of their long skirts. The leading woman's face is upturned towards the light. Next to and slightly behind her a second female figure, with forward facing gaze, has her right arm around a much smaller female figure. This child figure moves with the line but turns her head to face the viewer, hands folded at the waist. Directly behind them is another female figure carrying a swathed infant. There are several isolated individuals outside the orderly grouping of the line. The line is the focus of their gaze; the nearest individual turns her back on the viewer as she focuses on the line.
- Topic
- African American
- Activism
- Art
- Children
- Civil rights
- Resistance
- United States--History--1953-1961
- Women
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Sydney Smith Gordon
- Object number
- 2007.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Charles Alston Estate
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Untitled (French Landscape)
- Created by
- Harper, William A., American, 1873 - 1910
- Medium
- oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W: 16 3/8 x 20 1/4 x 1 in. (41.6 x 51.4 x 2.5 cm)
- Framed: 23 x 27 x 2 in. (58.4 x 68.6 x 5.1 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- Date
- 1905
- Description
- This landscape painting depicts trees in the right and left foreground. Beyond, a field is visible under a blue sky with wispy clouds.
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2010.51.1ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Untitled
- Created by
- Young, Purvis, American, 1943 - 2010
- Medium
- paint on fiberboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 65 1/16 × 47 5/8 × 1 in. (165.3 × 121 × 2.5 cm) framed
- Type
- paintings
- Place made
- Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, North and Central America
- Date
- 1990s
- Description
- This painting depicts a large mass of abstract human and animal figures rendered in simple brushstrokes. Human figures and horses are aligned in rows, with a burial ground of headstones and crosses through the center. The figures are formed in a series of curving line brushstrokes of black, grey, yellow, and red against a red and yellow background. On the far side of the burial ground, figures on horseback surround an animal figure resembling a buffalo. In the foreground are four dark forms resembling hte back of heads, necks, and shoulders. These heads are surrounded by yellow halos. The top left corner of the fiberboard is missing.
- Topic
- African American
- American West
- Art
- United States--History
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Calynne and Lou Hill
- Object number
- 2010.64.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- ©1990s Purvis Young. Permission required for use.
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Shango's Helper
- Created by
- Coleman, Floyd, American, 1939 - 2018
- Medium
- acrylic paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W: 52 × 64 × 1 1/4 in. (132.1 × 162.6 × 3.2 cm)
- Type
- acrylic paintings
- Date
- 1972
- Description
- This is an acrylic painting that depicts an abstract interpretation of a female figure. Done against a black background the shape is located primarily in the bottom left quadrant and partial top left quadrant of the painting. The bottom left features a wide swath of orange, topped with several textured shapes in shades of yellow, light brown, and grey. Shapes are clearly delineated by borders done in darker shades or alternate colors. Some shapes are patterned with narrow stripes and brush strokes. Above the figure is a grey rectangle outlined in green. Within the rectangle is a darker grey shape roughly resembling the head of an axe. There is a green horizontal line in the bottom right quadrant of the painting.
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kera and Bennie F. Johnson
- Object number
- 2011.102.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- © 1972 Floyd Coleman
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Robbing the Eagle's Nest
- Created by
- Duncanson, Robert S., American, 1821 - 1872
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W: 35 1/2 x 45 1/2 in. (90.2 x 115.6 cm)
- Storage: 142.2 x 167.6 x 33 cm (56 x 66 x 13 in.)
- Type
- oil paintings
- Place made
- Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
- Date
- 1856
- Description
- A view of the Ohio River Valley done in the American Romantic style of the Hudson River School. The painting features an eagle soaring by the face of a cliff. The inclusion of figures is rare in Duncanson's work.
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- United States--History--1815-1861
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2009.13ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public Domain
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
The Hunted Slaves
- Created by
- Ansdell, Richard, English, 1815 - 1885
- Subject of
- Unidentified Man or Men
- Unidentified Woman or Women
- Medium
- oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W: 36 x 60 in. (91.4 x 152.4 cm)
- H x W x D (Framed): 48 3/8 × 72 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (122.9 × 184.2 × 8.9 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- Place depicted
- Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
- Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
- Date
- 1862
- Description
- This oil painting depicts a black man and woman beset by three mastiff dogs in a marshy landscape. On the right side of the painting are two human figures who face left across the painting to the dogs.The man stands in a half-crouch between the dogs and the woman, wielding a hatchet in his upraised right hand. Dangling from his clenched left wrist is a pair of manacles, with one cuff broken open. He wears a pair of faintly patterned brown trousers to mid-thigh, and has a red sash around his waist. His body has numerous scars and a round brand or tattoo on his left shoulder. The woman is half-crouched behind him knees bent, both arms raised to shoulder height, palms faced outward as she peers over the man's shoulder. She wears a sleeveless, loosely draped soiled white top, and a brown striped skirt tucked above her knees. Her hair is drawn back and she has small hoop earrings. The dogs are on the left side of the painting, with one of the dogs lying wounded between the two groups of figures. The scene takes place in an area of trampled tall grass with grey water in the background and a livid red horizon. In the bottom right corner there is a striped snake twining up a mossy dead log.
- Topic
- African American
- Antislavery
- Art
- Slavery
- Violence
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2009.34ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public Domain
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Behold Thy Son
- Created by
- Driskell, David C., American, born 1931
- Subject of
- Till, Emmett, American, 1941 - 1955
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W: 40 x 30 in. (101.6 x 76.2 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- Date
- 1956
- Description
- An oil painting in which the artist presents the bruised and battered body of Emmett Till as a Christ-like figure with his arms outstretched in the form of a crucifixion. The hands and arms of a figure behind him are visible holding the body.
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Civil rights
- Religion
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2009.7
- Restrictions & Rights
- © David C. Driskell
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Portrait of John Westwood
- Created by
- Johnson, Joshua, American, ca. 1763 - after 1832
- Subject of
- Westwood, John, American
- Medium
- oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 38 1/4 x 33 x 2 1/2 in. (97.2 x 83.8 x 6.4 cm)
- H x W (Canvas): 30 1/4 x 25 1/4 in. (76.8 x 64.1 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- portraits
- Place made
- Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
- Date
- ca. 1807-1808
- Description
- An oil painting portrait of John Westwood, painted in conventional English portrait style of formal, bust-length pose and arranged backdrop. It depicts a half-length male figure wearing a brown coat with silver buttons and white waistcoat against a dark background. The figure is clean shaven with short brown hair, and is encircled by a faux oval frame. Painted as part of the composition, the oval frame is slightly lighter in color than the background.
- Topic
- African American
- American South
- Art
- Free communities of color
- Men
- United States--History--1783-1815
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2010.25ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Servants at a Pump
- Created by
- Calyo, Nicolino, Italian American, 1799 - 1884
- Subject of
- Unidentified Man or Men
- Unidentified Woman or Women
- Unidentified Child or Children
- Medium
- oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W (painting): 24 x 20 in. (61 x 50.8 cm)
- frame: 30 1/2 × 26 1/4 × 3 3/4 in. (77.5 × 66.7 × 9.5 cm)
- Type
- oil paintings
- Place depicted
- Weeksville, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Date
- ca. 1840
- Description
- This oil painting depicts seven individuals gathered around a water pump. From left to right these figures include: a young boy working the pump handle wearing brown pants and jacket with a blue shirt, a woman seated on a basket of laundry, wearing a pink dress and white head wrap, a man with his right leg propped up on the edge of the basin in a wide brimmed straw hat, a kneeling youth in a red shirt drinking from the pump's spout, a woman carrying a bucket, a man carrying a basket of peaches over his left arm and several dead fowl in his right hand, and a woman holding a baby and a green parasol. A black dog lies on the ground behind her. All individuals except the woman and baby are on a square pavement of red brick. The water pump sits in the middle of the pavement surrounded by a low walled, rectangular basin. The pump is a rectangular stone pillar topped with a small dome. A spout protrudes from halfway up the pillar, and the pump handle is a lever that protrudes from the adjacent pillar side. Water flows out the spout into the basin below. In the background is a landscape of trees on either side of a wide street with a few buildings in the distance. On the right is a white house with a green door and shutters, and a fanlight over the entrance. In the distance are two other white buildings, one on the left with a colonnade and a tall steeple, and a much smaller one across from it on the right with a cupola. There are a several indistinct figures walking and riding down the street.
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Children
- Communities
- Free communities of color
- Men
- Women
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2010.5ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
-
Ceremony
- Created by
- Gentry, Herbert Alexander, American, 1919 - 2003
- Medium
- acrylic on canvas
- Dimensions
- 33 3/4 x 27 9/16 x 1 1/2 in. (85.7 x 70 x 3.8 cm)
- Type
- acrylic paintings
- Date
- 1993
- Description
- This expressionist painting juxtaposes faces and masks. The frontal facial views and profiles are delineated by swirling brush strokes in shades of red and orange with blue, white, and purple accents. There is a large frontal facial image at the center top margin flanked by two profiles. There is another facial profile at the center right and a fourth abstract face at the bottom center. It is signed on the bottom right by the artist.
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Identity
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Ronald and Monique Ollie in memory of Thelma and Bert Ollie
- Object number
- 2010.67ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- © 1993 Herbert Gentry
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture