Joshua Johnson
Charles Herman Stricker Wilmans
c. 1804
Physical Qualities
Oil on canvas, 38 1/4 x 31 in. (97.2 x 78.8 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Susan D. Tilghman Horner
Object Number
1944.6
Born to an enslaved mother and purchased and freed by his white father in 1782, Joshua Johnson is one of the first recognized African American painters. Johnson here depicts Charles holding a toy gun. In early 19th-century American culture, such toys--common in portraits of boys from this period--were thought to inspire courage and self-reliance through outdoor play, highly valued qualities in the newly independent republic. Johnson's painting style, characterized by the parted curtain, idealized exterior view, and detailed rendering of clothes and accessories, is typical of portrait painters of the era. Unlike many of his white peers, however, he did not travel widely in search of clients. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 limited travel for even free African Americans, who risked abduction. City records suggest that Johnson remained in Baltimore at least until 1824, supported by steady patronage from local families.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest, 1944; Susan D. Tilghman Horner, Baltimore, by direct descent
BMA, "Two Hundred and Fifty Years of Painting in Maryland," May 11-June 17, 1945, p. 34, no. 66
PM, Baltimore, "An Exhibition of Portraits by Joshua Johnston," Jan. 11-Feb. 8, 1948, n.p., no. 2, ill.
The Art Institute of Chicago, "From Colony to Nation," April - June 1949; cat. no. 76, p. 53
"Behold the Child," BMA, November 7 - December 3, 1950; cat. p. 12
BMA and MHS, Baltimore, "J. Hall Pleasants: A Memorial Exhibition," December 2, 1958 - January 18, 1959; cat. p. 12
"Twenty-Five Folk Artists: Their Lives and Works," Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection, Williamsburg, VA, May 10 - July 11, 1971
Peridot-Washburn Gallery, New York City, "Portraits of Joshua Johnson," October 5 - October 30, 1971
"250 Years of Painting in Maryland," BMA, 1945, cat #66, p. 34
Supplement to Smithsonian's "The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution, 1770-1800" (Morgan State College Art Gallery only, January 11- March 26, 1976).
BMA, "Maryland Heritage," Apr. 20 - June 20, 1976, p. 84, no. 52, ill.
BMA, American Folk Art From The Baltimore Museum of Art and Local Collections, Apr. 4-June 18, 1978, p. 4, no. 8, ill. on cover
New Orleans Museum of Art, "Jefferson's America and Napoleon's France," April 12, 2003 - August 31, 2003.
American Folk Art Museum, "Unnamed Figures". American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY, 13 November 2023- 24 March 2024.
PM, Baltimore, "An Exhibition of Portraits by Joshua Johnston," Jan. 11-Feb. 8, 1948, n.p., no. 2, ill.
The Art Institute of Chicago, "From Colony to Nation," April - June 1949; cat. no. 76, p. 53
"Behold the Child," BMA, November 7 - December 3, 1950; cat. p. 12
BMA and MHS, Baltimore, "J. Hall Pleasants: A Memorial Exhibition," December 2, 1958 - January 18, 1959; cat. p. 12
"Twenty-Five Folk Artists: Their Lives and Works," Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection, Williamsburg, VA, May 10 - July 11, 1971
Peridot-Washburn Gallery, New York City, "Portraits of Joshua Johnson," October 5 - October 30, 1971
"250 Years of Painting in Maryland," BMA, 1945, cat #66, p. 34
Supplement to Smithsonian's "The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution, 1770-1800" (Morgan State College Art Gallery only, January 11- March 26, 1976).
BMA, "Maryland Heritage," Apr. 20 - June 20, 1976, p. 84, no. 52, ill.
BMA, American Folk Art From The Baltimore Museum of Art and Local Collections, Apr. 4-June 18, 1978, p. 4, no. 8, ill. on cover
New Orleans Museum of Art, "Jefferson's America and Napoleon's France," April 12, 2003 - August 31, 2003.
American Folk Art Museum, "Unnamed Figures". American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY, 13 November 2023- 24 March 2024.
'Object of the Week,' "The Sunday Sun," (brown section), April 15, 1956.
Sona K. Johnston, "American Painting 1750-1900," Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, 1983, no. 75, pp. 93-94, ill. p. 92.
Carolyn J. Weekly, 'Joshua Johnson,' "Antiques Magazine," September 1987, vol. cxxxii, pl. XVI, p. 528.
Baltimore Museum of Art. "The Baltimore Museum of Art: Celebrating a Museum." Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2014.
Benskin, Elizabeth, and Suzy Wolffe. "Teacher's Guide to the American Collection". Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Museum of Art, 2014, pages 7 and 15.
On View: American Wing Second Floor, Scott 06
