Negro Life at the South
Eastman Johnson
American, 1824–1906
Details
Title
Negro Life at the South
Artist/Maker
Eastman Johnson (American, 1824–1906)
Date
ca. 1876
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
18 1/4 x 24 1/8 inches
Credit
Purchase with funds from the Fine Art Collectors with leadership gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schwob, Mr. and Mrs. Terry Stent, Mr. and Mrs. Austin P. Kelley, Mr. and Mrs. John L. Huber, Dr. and Mrs. Gerald M. Stapleton, Mr. and Mrs. Noel Wadsworth, and the Collections Council Acquisition Fund, and funds from the Winter Family Foundation, and through prior acquisitions
Accession #
1997.187
Location
Currently not on view
Johnson’s masterful handling of a divisive subject inspired both pro- and anti-slavery factions to find support for their views in this painting. For abolitionists, the terrible living conditions matched the immorality of slavery; for slavery’s defenders, the happy nature of the enslaved people evidenced that it was neither physically nor socially destructive. According to one critic, Negro Life at the South became the “Uncle Tom’s Cabin of pictures” with “as many painful as pleasant reflections.” Its fame led Johnson to create this version of his original 1859 painting for widespread distribution as a color lithograph.