Exhibition Guide

A painted portrait of a man with dark hair and skin, wearing a dark jacket, cream vest, and a white shirt with a high collar.

Philip Tilyard (American, 1785-1830). Jonathas Granville. 1824. Oil on canvas. Unframed: 20 1/8 x 19 1/8 x 1 1/8 in. (51.1 x 48.6 x 2.9 cm). Framed: 27 5/8 x 26 5/8 x 3 3/8 in. (70.2 x 67.6 x 8.6 cm). Baltimore Museum of Art: Purchase Fund, BMA 1945.92

A painted portrait of a man with dark hair and skin, wearing a dark jacket, cream vest, and a white shirt with a high collar.

Jonathas Granville

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Art Object Info

Philip Tilyard
American (1785-1830)

Medium:
Oil on canvas
Size:
Depth: 1 1/8"
Width: 19 1/8"
Height: 20 1/8"
Date:
1824

In 1804, the African populations of the colonial island of Saint-Domingue defeated their French enslavers and founded the new nation of Haiti, a free republic. Twenty years later, Haitian diplomat Pierre Joseph Marie Granville (1785–1839), known as Jonathas Granville, visited the United States to encourage free African Americans to emigrate. An estimated 6,000 people departed for Haiti in the wake of his visit.

On his tour, Granville visited Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Baltimore. In Baltimore, Granville appealed to the Emigration Society, Bethel Church, and other groups of concerned citizens. During his visit, self-taught local artist Philip Tilyard painted Granville’s portrait. The painting remained with the artist’s family until it was brought to the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Purchase Fund BMA 1945.92

Jonathas Granville

Philip Tilyard
American (1785-1830)
Date:
1824
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Size:
Depth: 1 1/8"
Width: 19 1/8"
Height: 20 1/8"

In 1804, the African populations of the colonial island of Saint-Domingue defeated their French enslavers and founded the new nation of Haiti, a free republic. Twenty years later, Haitian diplomat Pierre Joseph Marie Granville (1785–1839), known as Jonathas Granville, visited the United States to encourage free African Americans to emigrate. An estimated 6,000 people departed for Haiti in the wake of his visit.

On his tour, Granville visited Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Baltimore. In Baltimore, Granville appealed to the Emigration Society, Bethel Church, and other groups of concerned citizens. During his visit, self-taught local artist Philip Tilyard painted Granville’s portrait. The painting remained with the artist’s family until it was brought to the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Purchase Fund BMA 1945.92