Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
Patricia Hills, PhD, Founder and Director | Abigael MacGibeny, MA, Project Manager
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Photo: Northeast Auctions
Preparing Breakfast, c.1862 (Hills no. 9.4.5). Overall
Overall
Photo: Reproduced by permission
Preparing Breakfast, c.1862 (Hills no. 9.4.5). Frame
Frame
Photo: Reproduced by permission
09.4 Black Groups

During the 1860s Johnson painted Black men, women, and children that bestow on them dignity, intelligence, and grace. Many in his family, including his sister Harriet May and her husband Reverend Joseph May were ardent abolitionists. To Johnson, Blacks were not subjects to be ridiculed or satirized.

Note that paintings of Black women and their babies have been placed within the Mother and Child theme. Negro Life at the South and its variations have been placed in a separate category because of its historic significance as Johnson’s chef-d’oeuvre. —PH

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Hills no. 9.4.5
Preparing Breakfast
Alternate titles: possibly Before Breakfast; possibly The Early Breakfast
c.1862
Oil on board
9 1/2 x 12 5/8 in. (24.1 x 32.1 cm)
Initialed lower left: E. J.
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Record last updated June 2, 2022. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Preparing Breakfast, c.1862 (Hills no. 9.4.5)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=101 (accessed on March 29, 2024).