Portrait of Sea Captain John Murphy

Joshua Johnson, Portrait of Sea Captain John Murphy, ca. 1810, oil on canvas, 21 ¹⁄₂ x 17 ¹⁄₂ in. (54.6 x 44.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Leonard and Paula Granoff, 1983.95.57

Free to use

Artwork Details

Title: Portrait of Sea Captain John Murphy
Artist: Joshua Johnson
Date: ca. 1810
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
2nd Floor
/
South Wing
Dimensions: 21 ¹⁄₂ x 17 ¹⁄₂ in. (54.6 x 44.5 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Leonard and Paula Granoff
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Portrait male — Murphy, John
Occupation — transportation — captain
Object Number: 1983.95.57
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.57

Artwork Description

Joshua Johnson, a self-trained artist and former slave, is the earliest documented professional African American painter. His sitters were Captain John Murphy and his wife, Irish immigrants who lived in Baltimore, where Johnson painted many merchants, seamen, and their families. In these portraits--intended to hang side-by-side--the artist delighted in fine details, from the captain's artfully arranged curls to his wife's sheer lace collar.