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Catalog Data

Artist:
Unidentified Artist  Search this
Former attribution:
Elisha Livermore Hammond, 1779 - 1882  Search this
Sitter:
Frederick Douglass, Feb 1818 - 20 Feb 1895  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Stretcher: 70.2 x 57.5 x 3.8cm (27 5/8 x 22 5/8 x 1 1/2")
Frame: 82.6 x 69.9 x 8.3cm (32 1/2 x 27 1/2 x 3 1/4")
Type:
Painting
Date:
c. 1845
Exhibition Label:
Born near Easton, Maryland
Frederick Douglass became the most influential African American of the nineteenth century by turning his life into a testimony on the evils of slavery and the redemptive power of freedom. After he escaped from bondage in 1838, Douglass quickly emerged as an outspoken advocate for equality and abolition. Aware of the power of telling one’s own story, he frequently spoke about his life, published three genre-defining autobiographies, and founded the influential newspaper, The North Star, in 1847. Douglass also posed for countless photographs, which he considered less susceptible to artists’ racial prejudices.
This painting was likely based on the engraved frontispiece of Douglass’s first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845), a gripping account of his struggle for freedom. In My Bondage and My Freedom (1855), Douglass went on to address the psychology of slavery and the racism that continued to define the lives of the newly free.
Nacido cerca de Easton, Maryland
Frederick Douglass se convirtió en el afroamericano más influyente del siglo XIX al hacer de su biografía un testimonio de los males de la esclavitud y el poder redentor de la libertad. Tras escapar del cautiverio en 1838, se destacó como abierto defensor de la igualdad y la abolición de la esclavitud. Consciente del poder de los relatos personales, hablaba a menudo de su vida. Publicó tres autobiografías que definieron el género y fundó el influyente periódico The North Star en 1847. Douglass también posó para incontables fotografías, considerándolas menos susceptibles al prejuicio racial de los artistas.
Esta pintura se basó posiblemente en el grabado del frontispicio de su primera autobiografía, Historia de la vida de Frederick Douglass (1845), un relato apasionante de su lucha por la libertad. En Mi esclavitud y mi libertad (1855), examinó la psicología de la esclavitud y el racismo que seguía definiendo la vida de los recién liberados.
Provenance:
Estate of Alphonso Janes [d. 1893]; gift 1902 to Rhode Island Historical Society; purchased 1974 NPG
The painting is not listed in the inventory of the estate of Alphonso Janes, but is so credited by the Rhode Island Historical Society. Copy in NPG curatorial file. Frank H. Goodyear, Jr., American Paintings in the Rhode Island Historical Society [Providence, 1974], p.72, no. 94.
Topic:
Frederick Douglass: Male  Search this
Frederick Douglass: Literature\Writer  Search this
Frederick Douglass: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer  Search this
Frederick Douglass: Journalism and Media\Newspaper publisher  Search this
Frederick Douglass: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Minister  Search this
Frederick Douglass: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Abolitionist  Search this
Frederick Douglass: Society and Social Change\Enslaved person  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Object number:
NPG.74.45
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition:
One Life: Frederick Douglass
On View:
NPG, North Gallery 230a
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm43dba84b9-59f0-46b4-b02b-b3dd34166f28
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.74.45