Central Business District in Cincinnati in Hamilton County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Robert S. Duncanson
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009
1. Robert S. Duncanson Marker
Inscription.
Robert S. Duncanson. . The first African American artist to achieve international acclaim, painter Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872) was born in New York and settled in Cincinnati in 1840. He pursued his artistic career during a time of tremendous racial prejudice and was acknowledged as the "best landscape painter in the West." Arts patron Nicholas Longworth commissioned murals from Duncanson around 1850 for his home Belmont, now the Taft Museum of Art; these paintings are regarded as one of the finest pre-Civil War domestic decoration schemes in the United States. Sponsored by anti-slavery groups, he traveled widely during the 1860s in Europe. Duncanson rose above oppression to create expressions of African American cultural identity, leading the way for other people of color to pursue careers in the arts.
The first African American artist to achieve international acclaim, painter Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872) was born in New York and settled in Cincinnati in 1840. He pursued his artistic career during a time of tremendous racial prejudice and was acknowledged as the "best landscape painter in the West." Arts patron Nicholas Longworth commissioned murals from Duncanson around 1850 for his home Belmont, now the Taft Museum of Art; these paintings are regarded as one of the finest pre-Civil War domestic decoration schemes in the United States. Sponsored by anti-slavery groups, he traveled widely during the 1860s in Europe. Duncanson rose above oppression to create expressions of African American cultural identity, leading the way for other people of color to pursue careers in the arts.
Erected 2003 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, Cinergy, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 35-31.)
30.193′ W. Marker is in Cincinnati, Ohio, in Hamilton County. It is in the Central Business District. Marker is at the intersection of Pike Street and East 4th Street, on the left when traveling south on Pike Street. Marker is at the Taft Museum of Art. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 316 Pike Street, Cincinnati OH 45202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . 1. Robert Scott Duncanson. (Submitted on November 26, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.) 2. The Art of Robert S. Duncanson. (Submitted on November 26, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009
2. Robert S. Duncanson Marker
Taft Museum of Art in background and marker on right.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009
3. Taft Museum of Art
Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 26, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,565 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 26, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
