Jim

William H. Johnson, Jim, 1930, oil on canvas, mounted on masonite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.748
William H. Johnson, Jim, 1930, oil on canvas, mounted on masonite, 21 5818 14 in. (54.846.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.748

Artwork Details

Title
Jim
Date
1930
Dimensions
21 5818 14 in. (54.846.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas, mounted on masonite
Classifications
Subjects
  • African American
  • Portrait male — Johnson, Jim — bust
Object Number
1967.59.748

Artwork Description

William H. Johnson returned home to South Carolina in 1930 after twelve years away. In this portrait of his sixteen-year-old brother, Jim, it is tempting to see an image of “Willie” when he was Jim’s age and setting off on his own. The background, almost equally divided between dark and light pigments, evokes Johnson’s position between two different worlds. He had been teased as a mixed-race child because of his relatively fair skin and wavy hair. When he left Florence, South Carolina, in 1918, he had followed the path of white American artists, training in New York City and traveling to Europe. But the praise he won shortly before he returned to his hometown called attention to his black ancestry once again, transforming Johnson into a symbol of the “New Negro” (Powell, Homecoming: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson, 1991).

Works by this artist (14 items)

Nellie Mae Rowe, At the Art Gallery, 1979, crayon and felt tip on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2021.29.10
At the Art Gallery
Date1979
crayon and felt tip on paper
Not on view
Nellie Mae Rowe, Untitled (Four-Leaf Clover and Little Zebra), 1980, marker on silver gelatin print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2021.29.6
Untitled (Four-Leaf Clover and Little Zebra)
Date1980
marker on silver gelatin print
Not on view
Nellie Mae Rowe, Church Lady in Pants Suit, 1980, crayon and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2021.29.9
Church Lady in Pants Suit
Date1980
crayon and pencil on paper
Not on view
Nellie Mae Rowe, Untitled (Landscape with Black Girl), ca. 1980, crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.131
Untitled (Landscape with Black Girl)
Dateca. 1980
crayon on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Edward Mitchell Bannister, Neutakonkanut, 1891, watercolor and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Abraham and Faye Adler, 1983.95.10
Neutakonkanut
Date1891
watercolor and pencil on paper
Not on view
Cass Gilbert, The Tower, Cathedral of Torcello, 1898-1916, watercolor, pencil and charcoal on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Emily Finch Gilbert through Julia Post Bastedo, executor, 1962.13.75
The Tower, Cathedral of Torcello
Date1898-1916
watercolor, pencil and charcoal on paper
Not on view
Cass Gilbert, A Market Day (Church of St. Jacques, Ghent, Belgium), 1897, watercolor and pencil on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Emily Finch Gilbert through Julia Post Bastedo, executor, 1962.13.26
A Market Day (Church of St. Jacques, Ghent, Belgium)
Date1897
watercolor and pencil on paper mounted on paperboard
Not on view
Cass Gilbert, Courtyard, Capucine Monastery, Amalfi, 1898, watercolor and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Emily Finch Gilbert through Julia Post Bastedo, executor, 1962.13.29
Courtyard, Capucine Monastery, Amalfi
Date1898
watercolor and pencil on paper
Not on view