James Weldon Johnson: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer
James Weldon Johnson: Education\Educator\Lecturer
James Weldon Johnson: Education\Educator\Professor\University
James Weldon Johnson: Literature\Writer\Poet
James Weldon Johnson: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Songwriter
James Weldon Johnson: Literature\Writer\Novelist
James Weldon Johnson: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights\Civil rights leader
James Weldon Johnson: Education\Administrator\School\Principal
James Weldon Johnson: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Consul\US Consul
James Weldon Johnson: Communications\Translator
Portrait
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Harmon Foundation
Object number:
NPG.67.40
Exhibition Label:
Born Jacksonville, Florida
James Weldon Johnson was a Renaissance man: successful Broadway lyricist, poet, novelist, diplomat, and a key figure in the NAACP. In 1900 he collaborated with his brother to produce "Lift Every Voice and Sing," a song that later acquired the subtitle of "The Negro National Anthem." President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Johnson consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, where he served with great distinction. In the 1920s, Johnson became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, known for his anthology, The Book of American Negro Poetry; his work on African American religion, God's Trombones; and Black Manhattan, the first history of African Americans in New York City. As chief operating officer of the NAACP during that same decade, he helped formulate the strategy that would later overturn American segregation laws. The background of this portrait recalls "Creation," Johnson's best-known poem in God's Trombones.
The Harmon Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New York City and active from (1922-1967) included this portrait in their exhibition “Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origins” which documented noteworthy African Americans’ contributions to the country. Modeling their goal of social equality, the Harmon sought portraits from an African-American artist, Laura Wheeler Waring and Euro-American artist, Betsy Graves Reyneau. The two painters followed the conventional codes of academic portraiture, seeking to convey their sitters extraordinary accomplishments. This painting, along with a variety of educational materials, toured nation-wide for ten years serving as a visual rebuttal to racism.
James Weldon Johnson: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer
James Weldon Johnson: Education\Educator\Lecturer
James Weldon Johnson: Education\Educator\Professor\University
James Weldon Johnson: Literature\Writer\Poet
James Weldon Johnson: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Songwriter
James Weldon Johnson: Literature\Writer\Novelist
James Weldon Johnson: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights\Civil rights leader
James Weldon Johnson: Education\Administrator\School\Principal
James Weldon Johnson: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Consul\US Consul
James Weldon Johnson: Communications\Translator
Portrait
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Lawrence A. Fleischman and Howard Garfinkle with a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
Object number:
NPG.72.78
Exhibition Label:
Born Jacksonville, Florida
James Weldon Johnson was a Renaissance man: successful Broadway lyricist, poet, novelist, diplomat, and a key figure in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1900 he collaborated with his brother John to produce "Lift Every Voice and Sing," a song that later acquired the subtitle of the "Negro National Anthem." President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Johnson consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, where he served with great distinction. In the 1920s, Johnson became a key figure in the "New Negro" movement and the Harlem Renaissance, known for his anthology, The Book of American Negro Poetry; his work on African American religion, God’s Trombones; and Black Manhattan, the first history of African Americans in New York City. As chief operating officer of the NAACP during that same decade, he helped formulate the strategy that would later overturn American segregation laws.
James Weldon Johnson's influence extended into many spheres of early-twentieth-century African American life. He first achieved acclaim as a lyricist, composing with his brother "Lift Every Voice and Sing," a work that later became known as the "Negro National Anthem." As a poet, journalist, and editor, Johnson contributed to and encouraged the growth of the "New Negro" movement, a renaissance in African American cultural expression. His novel The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man explored the phenomenon of "passing" with a remarkable degree of insight and poignancy. Johnson's contributions were not limited to the literary arena, however. He served as a United States diplomat, first in Venezuela and later in Nicaragua, and in 1917 joined the staff of the NAACP. By 1920 he served as that organization's chief executive and helped make the NAACP a national leader in civil rights activism.
The autobiography of an ex-coloured man / James Weldon Johnson ; with an introduction by Carl Van Vechten ; with an introduction to the Vintage edition by Henry Louis Gates, Jr
Author:
Johnson, James Weldon 1871-1938
Physical description:
xl, 211 p. ; 21 cm
Type:
Fiction
Date:
1989
1927
Topic:
African American men
Notes:
Originally published, in hardcover, by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, in 1927"--T.p. verso
Portrait of James Weldon John seated with his body turned to the left, his head turned to face the viewer, his arms resting on the arms of his chair. He wears a white jacket and vest with a patterned tie
Data Source:
Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums
Portrait of James Weldon John seated against a landscape with his body turned to the right, his head turned to face the viewer, and his hands resting in his lap. He wears a dark jacket and tie with a white shirt. The landscape behind him features figures walking among rolling hillsides with mountains in the background
Data Source:
Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums
