The rare picture, a portrait of a mixed-race adolescent painted in the 1830s and 1840s, which testifies to the rich free Black population in New Orleans before to the Civil War, has been acquired by the Lyman Allyn Art Museum.
It has been put on display in the American Perspectives exhibit of the Museum, where it was erected just in time to contribute to the weekend’s festivities honouring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The fascinating painting of a young guy of mixed races bears a striking resemblance to the portraits painted by Julien Hudson, one of the first emancipated artists of colour in America.
Hudson was born in New Orleans, and his most productive years were from 1831 until his untimely death at age 33 in 1844. Unique to the American South, a vibrant community of free persons of colour thrived in New Orleans at the beginning of the 19th century.
In that neighbourhood, Hudson received business from both white and mixed-race consumers. He is also known to have taught pupils, though nothing is known about their identities. “We are very pleased to add this exquisite image of a youth, very likely painted by an important free black American artist, to our permanent collection,” said Lyman Allyn Director, Sam Quigley.
“It was acquired as part of our intentional effort to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels within the Museum’s collection, programming, staff, and board,” he said., according to The New York Times.
From Robert Simon Fine Art, Inc., New York, where it had previously been on display in the exhibition Beyond Boundaries: Historical Art by and of People of Colour, the artwork was acquired for the Lyman Allyn’s permanent collection. This portrait is currently on display at the Lyman Allyn in the permanent collection galleries of American art called American Perspectives.