Happy Father’s Day! In this early-nineteenth-century portrait of a father and his two sons, Jo
Happy Father’s Day! In this early-nineteenth-century portrait of a father and his two sons, Joshua Johnson tenderly depicts family ties. Here, the small boys each extend an arm to their father and rest a pale hand on his sturdy form. Their father’s hand, open in his lap, suggests a gentle accessibility.The artist of this work was the son of a white man and an enslaved African American woman. Born into slavery, Johnson achieved his free status by 1798. By the end of the eighteenth century, he was making his living as a portraitist in the racially tolerant environment of Baltimore, where one-fifth of the population was black and one-quarter of all blacks were free.Posted by Eliza ButlerJoshua Johnson (active circa 1795-1825). John Jacob Anderson and Sons, John and Edward, ca. 1812-1815. Oil on canvas, 30 1/8 x 39 11/16 in. (76.5 x 100.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, -- source link
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