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.
- Title
-
Portrait of Mrs. Barbara Baker Murphy (Wife of Sea Captain)
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1810
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 21 3⁄4 x 17 5⁄8 in. (55.3 x 44.8 cm.)
- Credit Line
-
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Sol and Lillian Koffler
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil on canvas
- Classifications
- Keywords
-
- Portrait female – Murphy, Barbara Baker – bust
- Object Number
-
1983.95.56
- Palette
- Linked Open Data
- Linked Open Data URI
