****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 [email protected].
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