Collection Highlights
George Washington (1732-1799)
ca. 1785-1828
1832.4
Painted plaster
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Museum Collections
Underground Railroad
Thoughts of the Future (Thoughts of Liberia, Emancipation)
Title
Thoughts of the Future (Thoughts of Liberia, Emancipation)
Date
1861
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Overall (unframed): 18 x 21 in. (45.7 x 53.3 cm)
Overall (framed): 26 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 3 in. (67.3 x 77.5 x 7.6 cm)
Description
An African-American man, wrapped in brown coat and scarf, sits near a slightly dilapidated hearth, heating his kettle. In one hand is his cane, in the other a folded newspaper; his hat sits on the floor nearby. In the top right corner are his painter's tools. Pinned to the door is a poster marked "Hayti."
Credit Line
The Robert L. Stuart Collection, on permanent loan from the New York Public Library
Object Number
S-200
Gallery Label
The subject of this painting is probably a freeman, since most slaves were forbidden to read. The title informs us that the man's thoughts have wandered to Liberia, where the American Colonization Society was organizing a resettlement of freed slaves. The reference to "Hayti" is a reminder of the fight for freedom in that French colony, as well as the social and political turmoil that followed. Slaves in Haiti won their freedom in 1804, after a 13 year war against their French owners.
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
