Joshua Johnson portrait painting advertisement
Description
Copy of a newspaper advertisement placed in the Baltimore Intelligencer for portrait painting services by Joshua Johnson (spelled "Johnston" in the advertisement). In it, Johnson (c.1763-c.1824) describes himself as a "self-taught genius" and offers to provide the "most precise and natural likenesses." Johnson was the earliest documented professional African American painter in the United States. He lived the majority of his life in Baltimore, Maryland. He was formerly enslaved and received his freedom in 1782.
Date
1798-12-19