****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD

presents

Joshua Johnson: Portraitist of Early American BaltimoreApril 17–October 24, 2021

Joshua Johnson (American, ca. 1763–1824), The James McCormick Family, 1804–1805, oil on canvas, 51 x 69 in. (129.54 x 175.26 cm.), Collection of Maryland Center for History and Culture, Baltimore,

gift of Dr. Thomas C. McCormick, 1920.6.1.

This exciting exhibition, organized by the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts and curated

by Daniel Fulco, Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator, is the first monographic look at the work of

the enigmatic and compelling African American artist Joshua Johnson (ca. 1763-1824) since

1988. Often considered the first professional Black artist in America, Johnson was a freed slave

who achieved a remarkable degree of success as a portraitist in his lifetime by painting affluent

patrons in his native Baltimore. Johnson’s subjects consisted of politicians, doctors, clergymen,

merchants, and sea captains.

Joshua Johnson: Portraitist of Early American Baltimore contextualizes Johnson both

historically and culturally and explores further the key forms of natural symbolism represented in

his paintings. Featuring works by Johnson and his contemporaries, key loans come from the

Maryland Center for History & Culture, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Archdiocese of

Baltimore, and the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. This exhibition also will include a fully

illustrated scholarly interpretive catalogue and a diverse range of related educational programs.

Museum Director Sarah J. Hall says, “This exhibition has been in planning for three years, and

has ended up being a particularly timely investigation of both art history and Black history.

Additionally, it adds to our understanding of regional history in terms of both the practice of

portraiture and our understanding of those who made and commissioned portraits. Happily, the

exhibition will be on view for a full six months in order to allow as many people as possible to

enjoy Johnson’s work and the wide variety of related public programs scheduled.”

An artist whose ancestry was both African and European, Johnson was primarily a self-taught

painter. He was especially adept at capturing his sitters’ features and the details of their clothing,

which offered subtle insights into their personalities. Johnson’s attention to detail and extensive

inclusion of moths, fruits, and flowers in his paintings indicate that he carefully absorbed

techniques and motifs from traditional European portraiture to create symbolic meaning.

Furthermore, Johnson combined these elements with the latest trends in his genre, responding

closely to work of the Peales, Charles Peale Polk, and Mid-Atlantic limners such as Frederick

Kemmelmeyer and Caleb Boyle.

Given his background and the era in which he lived, Johnson was impelled to overcome many

racial and social hurdles in pursuing his profession and he persevered remarkably in that

endeavor. As described in an advertisement in the Baltimore Intelligencer from 1798, Johnson

referred to himself in the third person as “A self-taught genius, deriving from nature and industry

his knowledge of the Art; and having experienced many insuperable obstacles in the pursuit of

his studies, it is highly gratifying to him to make assurances of his ability to execute all

commands with an effect, and in a style, which must give satisfaction.”

Such issues of race in Early American society still remain relevant and while a compelling and

important theme to consider in relation to Johnson’s life and work, the exhibition also examines

how his work engages with key developments in Maryland’s artistic heritage from approximately

1760–1840. Joshua Johnson: Portraitist of Early American Baltimore also explores issues

related to politics, slavery, abolitionism, and society in antebellum Maryland.

As a complement to the Joshua Johnson: Portraitist of Early American Baltimore, the Museum

will be installing a companion exhibition. Face to Face: Portraits from the 18th and 19th

Centuries (April–October 2021), featuring European and American portraits from the permanent

collection. These works expand the context of the Johnson exhibition and allow for a deeper

understanding of the artist’s portraiture both before and during his lifetime.

EXHIBITION ORGANIZATION AND SUPPORT

Joshua Johnson: Portraitist of Early American Baltimore is organized by the Washington

County Museum of Fine Arts. This exhibition is generously supported by grants from the

National Endowment for the Arts, the Art Dealers Association of America Foundation, Heart of

the Civil War Heritage Area, Maryland Marketing Partnership, and Community Foundation of

Washington County Maryland, Inc. This exhibition also is made possible with the support of an

anonymous donor, Mr. and Mrs. James N. Holzapfel, Dr. & Mrs. George E. Manger, Dr. and

Mrs. Robert S. Strauch and Mr. & Mrs. Thomas B. Riford.

Exhibition Catalogue

Daniel Fulco, ed., David Taft Terry, and Mark B. Letzer. Joshua Johnson: Portraitist of Early

American Baltimore, exh. cat. (Hagerstown, MD: Washington County Museum of Fine Arts,

2021), 106 pages, ISBN: 97809144950301 (Paperback), 97809144950408 (e-book), $25/$10.

Daniel Fulco is Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator at the Washington County Museum of Fine

Arts. David Taft Terry is Associate Professor in the Department of History and Geography and

Coordinator, Museum Studies & Historical Preservation Program at Morgan State University.

Mark B. Letzer is President & CEO of the Maryland Center for History and Culture.

Associated Programs

A variety of engaging complementary on-line programs are scheduled to enhance enjoyment of

the exhibition, including discussions, lectures, and lesson-plans for use in classroom or at home.

Check wcmfa.org, or the Museum’s social media pages for more details on registration and

access.

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON COUNTY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Located in beautiful City Park, Hagerstown, Maryland, the Washington County Museum of Fine

Arts was founded in 1931, the legacy of Hagerstown native Anna Brugh Singer and her husband,

Pittsburgh-born artist William Henry Singer, Jr. Featuring a collection of more than 6,000

objects, the Museum has important holdings of American painting, Old Masters, decorative arts,

and sculpture. The Museum schedules an ambitious program of exhibitions, lectures, concerts,

tours, and talks featuring national and international artists, and annually organizes and hosts the

Cumberland Valley Artists and Cumberland Valley Photographers exhibitions, as well as a

yearly showcase of the art of K-12 students in Washington County Public Schools. Its free youth

art education programs have served four generations of local families.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is located at 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown,

Maryland. Free parking is available adjacent to the Museum. Hours are 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.,

Tuesday – Saturday; 100 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sunday; the Museum is closed Mondays and major

holidays.

EXHIBITION ADMISSION

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts has been FREE to the public since 1931.

For additional information, images, or interview requests, please contact Jillian MacMaster, at

301-739-5727 x 124 or educ.marketing@wcmfa.org.

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