Object Details
- Artist
- Laura Wheeler Waring, 1887 - 1948
- Sitter
- Harry Thacker Burleigh, 2 Dec 1866 - 12 Sep 1949
- Exhibition Label
- Born Erie, Pennsylvania
- Harry T. Burleigh was a leader in concert music during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As a young boy in Erie, Pennsylvania, he developed a deep appreciation for spirituals from both his family and from attending local performances and church. He described spirituals as the prized possession of African Americans and their “priceless contribution” to American music. After training at the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, Burleigh composed and arranged “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and other beloved spirituals that moved the genre from church pews to concert stages. His music and voice inspired the next generation of Black singers, notably Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson.
- Laura Wheeler Waring painted this portrait of Burleigh, her longtime friend, with his arms crossed, standing before a piano as an authoritative figure of Black music. The more than two hundred arrangements and concert songs by this remarkable composer, arranger, music editor, and singer are still performed today.
- Nacido en Erie, Pensilvania
- Harry T. Burleigh fue una figura líder en la música de concierto a fines del siglo XIX y principios del XX. Desde niño en Erie, Pensilvania, desarrolló un gran aprecio por los cantos espirituales que escuchaba en su familia, en la iglesia y en presentaciones locales. Afirmaba que los espirituales son la posesión más preciada de los afroamericanos y su “aportación invaluable” a la música estadounidense. Tras estudiar en el Conservatorio Nacional de Música en Nueva York, Burleigh compuso o arregló célebres espirituales, entre ellos “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, que llevaron a este género de la iglesia a las salas de concierto. Su música y su voz inspiraron a la siguiente generación de cantantes negros, en particular Marian Anderson y Paul Robeson.
- Laura Wheeler Waring pintó a su amigo de muchos años con los brazos cruzados, de pie frente a un piano, como figura de autoridad en la música afroamericana. Los más de 200 arreglos y canciones de este notable compositor, arreglista, editor musical y cantante siguen interpretándose hoy.
- Provenance
- Harmon Foundation; gift 1967 to NPG.
- Collection Description
- The Harmon Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New York City (active 1922–1967), included this portrait in their exhibition Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin, which opened at the Smithsonian in 1944 and documented noteworthy African Americans’ contributions to the country. Modeling their goal of social equality, the Harmon sought portraits from 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.
- La Harmon Foundation, entidad filantrópica con sede en la ciudad de Nueva York (activa entre 1922 y 1967), incluyó este retrato en Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin (Retratos de estadounidenses destacados de origen negro), una exposición inaugurada en la Smithsonian en 1944 que documentó las aportaciones de afroamericanos notables al país. A tono con sus ideales de igualdad social, la fundación encargó retratos a la artista afroamericana Laura Wheeler Waring y a la euroamericana Betsy Graves Reyneau. Ambas adoptaron los códigos convencionales del retrato académico para comunicar en sus obras los logros extraordinarios de sus modelos. Esta pintura, junto con diversos materiales educativos, viajó por la nación durante diez años planteando una impugnación visual del racismo.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Harmon Foundation
- c. 1946
- Object number
- NPG.67.80
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Estate of Laura Wheeler Waring
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 101.6cm x 86.6cm (40" x 34 1/8"), Accurate
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Interior
- Music\Musical instrument\Piano
- Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
- Harry Thacker Burleigh: Male
- Harry Thacker Burleigh: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Songwriter
- Harry Thacker Burleigh: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer
- Harry Thacker Burleigh: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Teacher\Music
- Harry Thacker Burleigh: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Arranger
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.67.80
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4cdded6ee-cf70-4b16-bd8e-7abfe747f9b7
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