Henry Ossawa Tanner
Object Details
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Date
- c. 1897
- Object number
- NPG.2011.10
- Exhibition Label
- Born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Henry Ossawa Tanner was one of the first African American artists to gain international acclaim, winning honors in both America and Europe. The son of an African Methodist Episcopal bishop, Tanner studied painting in Philadelphia under the guidance of Thomas Eakins and Thomas Hovenden at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Much of his work was devoted to carefully rendered depictions of biblical scenes, landscapes, and the everyday lives of African Americans. While his paintings won praise from some quarters, he endured many slights because of his race, and in 1891 he left America to continue his studies in Paris. Tanner found greater tolerance abroad, and although he returned to the States periodically, he spent the remainder of his life in France.
- This portrait by Frederick Gutekunst was probably created during a visit to Philadelphia in 1897. Tanner’s success served as an inspiration for African American artists during the Harlem Renaissance and later.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- Artist
- Frederick Gutekunst, 25 Sep 1831 - 27 Apr 1917
- Sitter
- Henry Ossawa Tanner, 21 Jun 1859 - 25 May 1937
- Topic
- Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
- Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
- Henry Ossawa Tanner: Male
- Henry Ossawa Tanner: Visual Arts\Artist\Painter
- Portrait
- Medium
- Albumen silver print
- Dimensions
- Image/Sheet: 14.2 x 10.4cm (5 9/16 x 4 1/8")
- Mount: 16.6 x 10.8cm (6 9/16 x 4 1/4")
- Mat: 45.7 x 35.6cm (18 x 14")
- Data Source
- National Portrait Gallery
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Photograph
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2011.10
Henry Ossawa Tanner
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