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
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
  • 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.

Works by this artist (2 items)

E. and H. T. Anthony and Co., Edward Anthony, Henry T. Anthony, The Artistic Series: The Kauterskill Fall, 180 feet High, Catskill Mountains, 1863-1869, albumen silver prints mounted to stereographic card, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.265
The Artistic Series: The Kauterskill Fall, 180 feet High,…
Artist
Date1863-1869
albumen silver prints mounted to stereographic card
Not on view
E. and H. T. Anthony and Co., Edward Anthony, Henry T. Anthony, Niagara in Winter: Terrapin Tower and Horseshoe Falls, 1863-1869, albumen silver prints mounted to stereographic card, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.250
Niagara in Winter: Terrapin Tower and Horseshoe Falls
Artist
Date1863-1869
albumen silver prints mounted to stereographic card
Not on view

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