BMA Expands African American Collection With Rare Joshua Johnson Portrait

artsbma.org Joshua Johnson’s Portrait of Elizabeth Gilpin (1804–1892). The Birmingham Museum of Art continues to expand its collection of African American art with the purchase of Joshua Johnson’s Portrait of Elizabeth Gilpin (1804–1892). Johnson, widely recognized as the first professional African American painter known to have worked in the United States, spent his career representing early nineteenth-century American life through his masterful portraiture. The painting is now on view in the BMA’s Styslinger Gallery of American Art. “Acquiring this portrait is a testament to our continued commitment to presenting a more inclusive and comprehensive narrative of American art history,” says Dr. Graham C. Boettcher, The R. Hugh Daniel Director of the Birmingham Museum of Art. “Joshua Johnson’s work adds a crucial layer to our understanding of the diverse talents and perspectives that shaped our nation’s cultural landscape.” Born into slavery, Johnson’s journey to becoming a self-taught professional portrait painter was unprecedented. After gaining his freedom in 1782, Johnson established himself in Baltimore, Maryland, at that time a flourishing hub of trade. He resided in the city’s Fells Point neighborhood, populated by Quakers, abolitionists, and free people of color. From 1803 to 1815, he produced the majority of his known portraits,...