Ruins of Carthage Painting   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: Robert Seldon Duncanson (1821-1872) painted this work in 1845, early in his career. It was Duncanson's first romantic landscape, a genre for which he would later become well known. It measures 19 by 28 inches (48.26 by 71.12 cm). The painting's alternate title is Light and Shade. Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1871) was born to free black parents in upstate New York. The Duncanson family moved to Canada for a time, but Robert Duncanson came to Cincinnati at the age of 19 and began to exhibit his artwork. Cincinnati was becoming a major western outpost for landscape painting, and in 1861 the Cincinnati Gazette declared Duncanson "the best landscape painter in the west." This was remarkable praise considering the racial attitudes of the time. Duncanson's still-lifes and landscapes earned him generous patronage from many prominent Cincinnatians, including Nicholas Longworth, who commissioned a series of twelve panels for his mansion. Duncanson also received much support from Cincinnati's abolitionists. In 1853, Duncanson traveled to Europe with William Sontag, another Cincinnati artist; the Anti-Slavery League sponsored the trip. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1437_1500368_001
Subjects: Arts and Entertainment; African American Ohioans; Duncanson, Robert S., 1821-1872; Artists
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)