Historical Scene with Mary McLeod Bethune

William H. Johnson, Historical Scene with Mary McLeod Bethune, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.651
Copied William H. Johnson, Historical Scene with Mary McLeod Bethune, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, 37 1228 12 in. (95.272.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.651

Artwork Details

Title
Historical Scene with Mary McLeod Bethune
Date
ca. 1945
Dimensions
37 1228 12 in. (95.272.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on paperboard
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
  • Architecture
  • African American
  • Occupation — education — student
  • Animal — cattle
  • Portrait female — Bethune, Mary McLeod
Object Number
1967.59.651

Artwork Description

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875--1955) was one of the most important educators and Civil Rights activists of the twentieth century. She opened a school for African American girls in Daytona Beach, Florida, that merged with the Cookman Institute to form the coeducational Bethune-Cookman College in 1931. Johnson shows students studying anatomy, biology, and dance on the right; his portrait of Bethune anchors the left. In the lower left, she passes the presidency of the college to her successor, James Colston. The two men embracing at the center remain unidentified. They may have been involved with Bethune-Cookman College or part of a coalition of Black leaders Bethune worked with who also served as an informal advisory board to President Franklin Roosevelt's administration (the so-called Black Cabinet). The latter group fought for the inclusion of African Americans in New Deal programs during the Great Depression and was a precursor to the 1960s civil rights movement.

Exhibitions

Media - 1967.59.1146 - SAAM-1967.59.1146_2 - 141130
Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice
March 8, 2024September 8, 2024
William H. Johnson's Fighters for Freedom series from the mid-1940s is a tribute to African American activists, scientists, teachers, and performers as well as international heads of state working to bring peace to the world.