Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s, Inc. © 2020
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09.3 Black Children and Adolescents
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. —PH
Hills no. 9.3.4
Musical Instinct
Alternate title: Banjo Girl
1860
Oil on board mounted on board
13 3/8 x 10 5/8 in. (34 x 27 cm)
Initialed and dated lower right: E J 186[?] [1860 or 1861]
This catalogue raisonné strives to reproduce the available historical information, as it was written in the period, while acknowledging that readers today may find many of these terms objectionable or racist. Please see the Racist Language/Negative Stereotypes Statement »
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Provenance
Exhibitions
Young Men's Association, Troy, New York, February 1, 1861, no. 29, as Musical Instinct, owner Irving Browne.
Young Men's Association, Troy, New York, 1862, no. 7, as Musical Instinct, owner Irving Browne.
Hills Examination/Opinion
Examination date(s): 1972?; 1996-11-08
Keywords
- Subject matter:
Record last updated April 1, 2022. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Musical Instinct, 1860 (Hills no. 9.3.4)." In Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=87 (accessed on January 20, 2025).