Portrait of Sea Captain John Murphy

Joshua Johnson, Portrait of Sea Captain John Murphy, ca. 1810, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Leonard and Paula Granoff, 1983.95.57
Copied 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
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Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of Sea Captain John Murphy
Artist
Date
ca. 1810
Location
Dimensions
21 1⁄2 x 17 1⁄2 in. (54.6 x 44.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Leonard and Paula Granoff
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Occupation — transportation — captain
  • Portrait male — Murphy, John
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.