Exhibition Guide
Charles Herman Stricker Wilmans
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Who was Joshua Johnson?
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Art Object Info
Born to an enslaved mother and purchased and freed by his white father in 1782, 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 clothing 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.
Ebony G. Patterson:”I hadn’t been aware of the works of Joshua Johnson before visiting the BMA. However, something struck me about this portrait of Charles Herman Stricker Wilmans. The boy seems awkward in his Sunday suit, posed with a gun in his hand and a pet dog trying to gain young Charles’s attention. To the right, there is a doorway that pictures then-Baltimore City. Possibilities are open and the world awaits the youngster. It’s interesting how toys play such a central role in early conditioning around what is deemed “masculine” activity. This hasn’t changed, as one needs only to walk through the section specially designed for boys in any toy store to see. In times like these, where there is a need for real conversation around gun control, how do toys help to prime the next generation of those playing with tools of violence?”
Art Object Info
Born to an enslaved mother and purchased and freed by his white father in 1782, 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 clothing 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.
Ebony G. Patterson:”I hadn’t been aware of the works of Joshua Johnson before visiting the BMA. However, something struck me about this portrait of Charles Herman Stricker Wilmans. The boy seems awkward in his Sunday suit, posed with a gun in his hand and a pet dog trying to gain young Charles’s attention. To the right, there is a doorway that pictures then-Baltimore City. Possibilities are open and the world awaits the youngster. It’s interesting how toys play such a central role in early conditioning around what is deemed “masculine” activity. This hasn’t changed, as one needs only to walk through the section specially designed for boys in any toy store to see. In times like these, where there is a need for real conversation around gun control, how do toys help to prime the next generation of those playing with tools of violence?”