Afro-American Historical Family Record

Creator Name

James M. Vickroy

Cultural Context

American

Date

1890s

Source

National Portrait Gallery;
Smithsonian Institution

About the work

Curationist Object Description

Recording one's family history became popular after the American Civil War. Claiming national identity this way proved easier for white Americans than for African Americans. The first slave ship arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 and many descendants went undocumented for over 200 years. This poster was a very visible means for African Americans of the late-nineteenth century to begin to claim U.S. nationality. It's narrative vignettes were common in similar genealogical documents of the time. Although these scenes feature a positive outlook on the crowning achievements of African Americans in United States history, they do not present the barbarous history and harsh realities of life before and after the Civil War.

Work Cited

Armandroff, Olivia. “A Familiar Landscape: A Surrogate for Ancestry and Genealogical Legacy?” Material Matters, 11 July 2020, https://sites.udel.edu/materialmatters/2020/06/29/a-familiar-landscape-a-surrogate-for-ancestry-and-genealogical-legacy/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2022.

Work details

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Title

Afro-American Historical Family Record

Creator

James M. Vickroy, Artist

James M. Vickroy, 1847 - 1913, Artist;
Historical Publishing Company, active c. 1899, Publisher;
Frederick Douglass, Feb 1818 - 20 Feb 1895, Sitter;
Judson Whitlocke Lyons, 1895 - 1905, Sitter;
Lucy Craft Laney, 13 Apr 1854 - 23 Oct 1933, Sitter;
Booker T. Washington, 5 Apr 1856 - 14 Nov 1915, Sitter;
Henry McNeal Turner, 1 Feb 1834 - 8 May 1915, Sitter;
Timothy Thomas Fortune, 3 Oct 1856 - 2 Jun 1928, Sitter;
John Mercer Langston, 14 Dec 1829 - 15 Nov 1897, Sitter;
Sissieretta Jones, 5 Jan 1868 - 24 Jun 1933, Sitter;
Hallie Quinn Brown, 10 Mar 1849 - 16 Sep 1949, Sitter;
Mary V. Cook, c. 1863 - c. 1940s, Sitter;
Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, 16 Jul 1862 - 25 Mar 1931, Sitter;
John Roy Lynch, 10 Sep 1847 - 2 Nov 1939, Sitter;
Henry Fitzbutler, 1842 - 1901, Sitter;
Lucius Henry Holsey, 3 Jul 1842 - 3 Aug 1920, Sitter

Worktype

Poster

Print; Prints

Cultural Context

American

Material

Paper; Ink

Chromolithograph on paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 68.3 x 53.2cm (26 7/8 x 20 15/16");
Mat: 86.4 x 71.1cm (34 x 28")

Technique

Chromolithography

Language

English

Date

1890s

Provenance

Credit Line: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Style Period

Rights

CC0

Inscription

Location

Terre Haute; Indiana

North America; United States; North America; United States

Source

National Portrait Gallery;
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery

Subjects

Ancestry; Chart; Battle; Dancing; Cotton; Slavery; Slave market; Capitol building; Tuskegee; African Americans; Black people

Booker T. Washington: Male; Booker T. Washington: Literature\Writer; Booker T. Washington: Education and Scholarship\Educator; Booker T. Washington: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer; Booker T. Washington: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Social reformer; Booker T. Washington: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Teacher; Booker T. Washington: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\Educational organization; Frederick Douglass: Male; Frederick Douglass: Literature\Writer; Frederick Douglass: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer; Frederick Douglass: Journalism and Media\Newspaper publisher; Frederick Douglass: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Minister; Frederick Douglass: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Abolitionist; Frederick Douglass: Society and Social Change\Enslaved person; John Roy Lynch: Male; John Roy Lynch: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer; John Roy Lynch: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer; John Roy Lynch: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer; John Roy Lynch: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Mississippi; John Roy Lynch: Visual Arts\Artist\Photographer; John Roy Lynch: Politics and Government\State Legislator\Mississippi; John Roy Lynch: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Real estate agent; John Roy Lynch: Law and Law Enforcement\Justice of the Peace; John Roy Lynch: Society and Social Change\Enslaved person; Judson Whitlocke Lyons: Male; Judson Whitlocke Lyons: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer; Lucy Craft Laney: Female; Lucy Craft Laney: Education and Scholarship\Educator; Lucy Craft Laney: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist; Henry McNeal Turner: Male; Henry McNeal Turner: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist; Henry McNeal Turner: Religion and Spirituality\Clergy\Prelate\Bishop; Timothy Thomas Fortune: Male; Timothy Thomas Fortune: Literature\Writer; Timothy Thomas Fortune: Society and Social Change\Reformer; Timothy Thomas Fortune: Journalism and Media\Newspaper publisher; Timothy Thomas Fortune: Journalism and Media\Newspaper editor; Timothy Thomas Fortune: Journalism and Media\Journalist\Reporter\Newspaper; Timothy Thomas Fortune: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist; John Mercer Langston: Male; John Mercer Langston: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer; John Mercer Langston: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist; John Mercer Langston: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\University administrator\Dean; John Mercer Langston: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\Law; Sissieretta Jones: Female; Sissieretta Jones: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer; Sissieretta Jones: Performing Arts\Performer; Hallie Quinn Brown: Female; Hallie Quinn Brown: Education and Scholarship\Educator; Hallie Quinn Brown: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist; Hallie Quinn Brown: Performing Arts\Performer\Entertainer; Hallie Quinn Brown: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\University administrator\Dean; Mary V. Cook: Female; Mary V. Cook: Education and Scholarship\Educator; Ida Bell Wells-Barnett: Female; Ida Bell Wells-Barnett: Literature\Writer; Ida Bell Wells-Barnett: Journalism and Media\Journalist; Ida Bell Wells-Barnett: Journalism and Media\Editor; Ida Bell Wells-Barnett: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Teacher; Ida Bell Wells-Barnett: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist; Ida Bell Wells-Barnett: Society and Social Change\Enslaved person; Henry Fitzbutler: Male; Henry Fitzbutler: Medicine and Health\Physician; Lucius Henry Holsey: Male; Lucius Henry Holsey: Religion and Spirituality\Clergy\Minister; Portrait; Business and Finance; Legislators; Singer; Writers; Businessperson; Reformers; Abolitionists; Social reformer; Prelate; Military and Intelligence; University administrator; Journalism; Educational organization; Entertainers; Diplomats; Minister; Clergy; Women; Literature; Farmers; Congressmen; Newspaper publisher; Dean; Law and Law Enforcement; Medicine and Health; Men; Photographer; Education and Scholarship; Journalism and Media; Bishop; Real estate agent; Art; Physicians; Justice of the Peace; Musicians; Enslaved person; Natural Resource Occupations; Society and social change; Government; Diplomacy; Newspaper editor; Reporter; Portraits; Lawyers; Lecturer; Activists; Educators; Civil rights activist; Agriculturists; Religion and Spirituality; Administrators; Politics; Artists; Officer

Topic

Abolition and Women's Rights

Curationist Metadata Contributors

Christina Stone

All Works in Curationist’s archives can be reproduced and used freely. How to attribute this Work:

James M. Vickroy, Afro-American Historical Family Record, 1899. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Depicting the crowning achievements of African Americans in United States history, these scenes do not present the barbarous history and harsh realities of life before and after the Civil War. CC0.

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