No. 5 John Brown, while tending his flock in Ohio, first communicated with his sons and daughters his plans of attacking slavery by force.
- Created by
- Lawrence, Jacob, American, 1917 - 2000
- Printed by
- Ives-Sillman, Inc., American, founded 1966
- Subject of
- Brown, John, American, 1800 - 1859
- Date
- 1977
- Medium
- printing ink on printing paper
- Dimensions
- 20 x 25 in. (50.8 x 63.5 cm)
- Caption
- “John Brown worked not simply for Black men—he worked with them; and he was a companion of their daily life, knew their faults and virtues, and felt, as few white Americans have felt, the bitter tragedy of their lot.” —W. E. B. Du Bois, John Brown, 1909
- Radical abolitionist John Brown (1800–1859) fought and died for the emancipation of enslaved people. His life as an antislavery advocate and armed insurrectionist who was tried, convicted, and hanged for his rebellion has served as inspiration for numerous artists since his death. However, it would not be until 1941, when Jacob Lawrence created a narrative series of 22 paintings, that Brown’s life was visually documented in its entirety. Between 1974 and 1977, Lawrence recreated his series in print form.
- Description
- A screen print from the series “The Legend of John Brown” by Jacob Lawrence. The print depicts John Brown, dressed in black and his back to the viewer. He is talking to three of his children, who form a half circle near and around him. Brown’s daughter to the proper left of him is carrying a picnic basket and wearing grey, the son in the middle is wearing blue, and the son standing to the proper right of Brown is wearing red with a brown coat. A brown dog is near the proper left foot of the son wearing a red and a black dog is behind him. They all appear to be on green grass.
- On the front of the print, the artist wrote the series number and edition in the lower left corner [#5 51/60] and signed and dated in the lower right corner [Jacob Lawrence 1977].
- Place printed
- New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, North and Central America
- Place depicted
- Ohio, United States, North and Central America
- Portfolio/Series
- The Legend of John Brown
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Movement
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- screen prints
- Topic
- Antislavery
- Art
- Resistance
- Slavery
- U.S. History, 1815-1861
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2007.6.1.5
- Restrictions & Rights
- © 2015 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




