Existing comment:
Negro Life at the South, 1859
Eastman Johnson (1824-1906)
Eastman Johnson's Negro Life at the South depicts an urban slave scene in a backyard near the corner of F and 13th Streets NW. This slave housing was within a house yard and surrounded by high walls. The first floor of the structure was work space, and the upper floor held the sleeping quarters. The open yard could be used by the residents whenever they had a little leisure time. At the time he painted this work, Johnson lived next door and enjoyed a good view of scenes taking place in the neighbor's yard. |