Crispus Attucks

William H. Johnson, Crispus Attucks, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1983.95.53
William H. Johnson, Crispus Attucks, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, 29 1230 78 in. (74.978.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1983.95.53

Artwork Details

Title
Crispus Attucks
Date
ca. 1945
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
29 1230 78 in. (74.978.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • State of being — death — execution
  • Portrait male — Attucks, Crispus
  • History — United States — Boston Massacre
  • African American
  • History — United States — Revolution
Object Number
1983.95.53

Artwork Description

Johnson presented Crispus Attucks (1723--1770) in a Christ-like pose at the center of his scene of the Boston Massacre. Three American colonists, all of them praying women, face a line of British soldiers who point muskets at the unarmed group. Tensions were high when, on the night of March 5, 1770, a small unarmed band of colonists confronted armed British soldiers. Shots were fired. When the smoke cleared, Attucks, a former slave, and two others lay dead. They were the first casualties of the American Revolution.

For roughly seventy years after the Boston Massacre, the martyrdom of this Black man was largely erased. Not until 1855, when William Cooper Nell, a Black abolitionist from Boston, published a book on free people of color who fought for American liberty, was Attucks's story retold. His name became a rallying cry during the Civil War; for Johnson, he endured as a powerful symbol of courage and sacrifice. 

Works by this artist (4 items)

Charles White, The Children, 1950, ink and graphite on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Julie Seitzman and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2009.13
The Children
Date1950
ink and graphite on paper
Not on view
Charles White, Love Letter, 1971, color lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of June Wayne, 1991.179.14, © 1971, Heritage Gallery, Los Angeles
Love Letter
Date1971
color lithograph on paper
Not on view
Charles White, Love Letter, 1971, color lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of June Wayne, 1991.179.15, © 1971, Heritage Gallery, Los Angeles
Love Letter
Date1971
color lithograph on paper
Not on view
Charles White, Hasty B, 1970, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1979.155.1
Hasty B
Date1970
lithograph on paper
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 1967.59.1146 - SAAM-1967.59.1146_2 - 141130
Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice
March 8, 2024September 10, 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 leaders working to bring peace to the world.

More Artworks from the Collection

Lee Godie, To the Dynamic Sarlo (Woman in Red with Decorated Hat), 1960s, oil and acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.22
To the Dynamic Sarlo (Woman in Red with Decorated Hat)
Date1960s
oil and acrylic on canvas
Not on view
Barry Dalgleish, Interior with Trunk, 1984, acrylic and oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.84.2
Interior with Trunk
Date1984
acrylic and oil on canvas
Not on view
Stanley Edwards, Infant in Altar IV, 1965, oil and acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.24
Infant in Altar IV
Date1965
oil and acrylic on canvas
Not on view