Object Details
- Artist
- Laura Wheeler Waring, 1887 - 1948
- Sitter
- James Weldon Johnson, 17 Jun 1871 - 27 Jun 1938
- Exhibition Label
- Born Jacksonville, Florida
- James Weldon Johnson was a Renaissance man: successful Broadway lyricist, poet, novelist, diplomat, and a key figure in the NAACP. In 1900, he collaborated with his brother to produce “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song that later acquired the subtitle of “The Negro National Anthem.” President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Johnson consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, where he served with great distinction. In the 1920s, Johnson became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, known for his anthology, The Book of American Negro Poetry; his work on African American religion, God’s Trombones; and Black Manhattan, the first history of African Americans in New York City. As chief operating officer of the NAACP during that same decade, he helped formulate the strategy that would later overturn American segregation laws. The background of this portrait recalls “Creation,” Johnson’s best-known poem in God’s Trombones.
- Nacido en Jacksonville, Florida
- James Weldon Johnson fue un hombre renacentista: exitoso letrista de Broadway, poeta, novelista, diplomático y figura clave de la Asociación Nacional para el Progreso de las Personas de Color (NAACP en inglés). En 1900 colaboró con su hermano en la creación de “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, canción que llegaría a conocerse como el “himno nacional negro”. Nombrado por el presidente Theodore Roosevelt, Johnson fue cónsul en Venezuela y Nicaragua, donde sirvió con gran distinción. En la década de 1920 fue figura clave del movimiento Harlem Renaissance, destacándose por su antología The Book of American Negro Poetry, su obra God’s Trombones sobre la tradición religiosa afroamericana y Black Manhattan, la primera historia de los afroamericanos en la Ciudad de Nueva York. Como director de operaciones de la NAACP en esa misma década, participó en el diseño de la estrategia que terminaría por echar abajo las leyes de segregación racial en Estados Unidos. El fondo de este retrato recuerda el conocido poema “Creation” de Johnson, incluido en God’s Trombones.
- Provenance
- Harmon Foundation; gift 1967 to NPG
- Collection Description
- The Harmon Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New York City (active 1922–1967), included this portrait in their exhibition Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin, which opened at the Smithsonian in 1944 and documented noteworthy African Americans’ contributions to the country. Modeling their goal of social equality, the Harmon sought portraits from African American artist Laura Wheeler Waring and Euro-American artist Betsy Graves Reyneau. The two painters followed the conventional codes of academic portraiture, seeking to convey their sitters’ extraordinary accomplishments. This painting, along with a variety of educational materials, toured nation-wide for ten years, serving as a visual rebuttal to racism.
- La Harmon Foundation, entidad filantrópica con sede en la ciudad de Nueva York (activa entre 1922 y 1967), incluyó este retrato en Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin (Retratos de estadounidenses destacados de origen negro), una exposición inaugurada en la Smithsonian en 1944 que documentó las aportaciones de afroamericanos notables al país. A tono con sus ideales de igualdad social, la fundación encargó retratos a la artista afroamericana Laura Wheeler Waring y a la euroamericana Betsy Graves Reyneau. Ambas adoptaron los códigos convencionales del retrato académico para comunicar en sus obras los logros extraordinarios de sus modelos. Esta pintura, junto con diversos materiales educativos, viajó por la nación durante diez años planteando una impugnación visual del racismo.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1943
- Object number
- NPG.67.40
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Estate of Laura Wheeler Waring
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 92.7 x 76.2cm (36 1/2 x 30")
- Frame: 109.2 x 95.3 x 5.1cm (43 x 37 1/2 x 2")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Exterior\Landscape
- Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
- Imaginary
- James Weldon Johnson: Male
- James Weldon Johnson: Law and Crime\Lawyer
- James Weldon Johnson: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer
- James Weldon Johnson: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\University
- James Weldon Johnson: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Poet
- James Weldon Johnson: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Songwriter
- James Weldon Johnson: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Novelist
- James Weldon Johnson: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Social reformer\Civil rights activist\Civil rights leader
- James Weldon Johnson: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Administrator\School administrator\Principal
- James Weldon Johnson: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Consul\US Consul
- James Weldon Johnson: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Translator
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.67.40
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4a2a48c69-9552-46ce-81b4-a011cec5dfad
