J. P. Ball and Robert S. Duncanson: An African American Artistic Collaboration

J. P. Ball, Unidentified sitter, 1858–60, daguerreotype

J. P. Ball, Unidentified sitter, 1858-60, ninth plate daguerreotype with applied color; half-cased, Smithsonian American Art Museum, the L. J. West Collection of Early African American Photography, Museum purchase made possible through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment

This installation features examples from SAAM’s collection of early photography and landscape paintings from the mid-nineteenth century. 

Description

This installation highlights the collaboration between two free, Black artists working in Cincinnati, Ohio, during the antebellum period—photographer James Presley (J. P.) Ball and landscape painter Robert Seldon Duncanson. It features three paintings from SAAM’s collection by Duncanson alongside nine works by Ball. Eight of the photographic works were recently acquired by the museum from the L. J. West Collection and the Dr. Robert L. Drapkin Collection and are on view in SAAM’s galleries for the first time.

Ball and Duncanson collaborated from roughly 1845 to 1855. Ball’s studio included an exhibition space that displayed his photographs and Duncanson’s landscape paintings to the public. Ball employed Duncanson in his studio to hand-tint photographs. Although Ball photographed Black clients, including the famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass, the photographs in this installation reflect how often white families and individuals in Cincinnati patronized Ball.

The exhibition is organized by John Jacob, the McEvoy Family Curator for Photography; Eleanor Harvey, senior curator; and Jill Rothschild, Luce Foundation Curatorial Fellow.

Visiting Information

September 15, 2023 March 24, 2024
Open Daily, 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m
Free Admission

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      On Monday, October 23, 2023, the Smithsonian American Art Museum presented in-depth look into the SAAM’s Early African American Photography Initiative, a growing world-class collection of daguerreotypes and photographs. Launched in 2021, SAAM has acquired rare works from the very first African American studios including works by artists James P. Ball, Glenalvin Goodridge, and Augustus Washington. The initiative also includes the acquisition of works from the collections of L.J. West and Dr. Robert L. Drapkin

      Speakers: 
      Dr. Deborah Willis, Chair for the Department of Photography & Imaging at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University; SAAM Commissioner  
      John Jacob, McEvoy Family Curator for Photography, SAAM  
      Dr. Aaron Bryant, Curator of Photography, Visual Anthropology, and Contemporary History, National Museum of African American History and Culture 

      In this video, Dr. Deborah Willis presents her groundbreaking research on the history of African American photography. The panel then discusses SAAM’s collecting initiative and the potential for new scholarship and creative work to emerge from the project. Learn more about works in the collection that are currently on view in the exhibition J. P. Ball and Robert S. Duncanson: An African American Artistic Collaboration.

      SAAM Stories

      A painting of a landscape with a rainbow.
      01/21/2021
      Curator Eleanor Harvey shares the story of Robert S. Duncanson and his artwork
      A photograph of Eleanor Harvey
      Eleanor Jones Harvey
      Senior Curator (19th-Century Art)