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Contribution #315 of 365
Joshua Johnson
Earliest Documented Professional Black American Painter
1790s–1820s
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born into slavery in Maryland, Joshua Johnson gained freedom and built a professional career as a portrait painter in Baltimore. Working for merchants, sea captains and their families, he produced a substantial body of commissioned portraits distinguished by a recognizable visual style. Johnson is the earliest documented Black American artist to earn a living professionally through painting.