Description

The Harmon Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New York City and active from (1922-1967) included this portrait in their exhibition “Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origins” which documented noteworthy African Americans’ contributions to the country. Modeling their goal of social equality, the Harmon sought portraits from an 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 activa entre 1922 y 1967 con sede en New York, incluyó este retrato en su exposición “Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin”. A tono con sus aspiraciones de igualdad social y de documentar las vidas de afroamericanos notables, la fundación había encargado los retratos a una artista afroamericana, Laura Wheeler Waring, y a otra euroamericana, Betsy Graves Reyneau. La exposición viajó por la nación a lo largo de diez años.

Record Contributed By

National Portrait Gallery

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution