Joshua Johnston (In History) - l763 - 1824

Joshua Johnson was the earliest African-American painter in the United States with a recognized body of work. Johnson, whose name is sometimes spelled Johnston, was an independent artist, the free son of a white man and a black slave woman. Although there is much speculation about his life, very little is actually known about him. In 1798 he advertised himself in a Baltimore newspaper as "a self-taught genius" who had "experienced many insuperable obstacles in the pursuit of his studies." Johnson was a prolific and successful painter, whose work is characterized by delineations of costume, symmetrical compositions, frontal poses, and bright, strong colors.

Sites referencing Joshua Johnston:
http://www.mdhs.org/kids/joshua.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Johnson
http://www.english.uiowa.edu/courses/boos/galleries/afampainting.htm
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/psearch?Request=S&imageset=1&Person=16350