Eastman Johnson (American, 1824–1906). <em>A Ride for Liberty -- The Fugitive Slaves (recto)</em>, ca. 1862. Oil on paperboard, 21 15/16 × 26 1/8 in. (55.8 × 66.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gwendolyn O. L. Conkling, 40.59a-b (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.59a_PS9.jpg)

Eastman Johnson (American, 1824–1906). A Ride for Liberty -- The Fugitive Slaves (recto), ca. 1862. Oil on paperboard, 21 15/16 × 26 1/8 in. (55.8 × 66.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gwendolyn O. L. Conkling, 40.59a-b (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.59a_PS9.jpg)

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Are all of the figures African American?

We do know that this picture represents a slave family of African Americans who are fleeing for freedom.

We know that the artist actually witnessed this scene happening in Virginia, the family fleeing before a battle begins.

If you look closely at the painting you can see the battle beginning in the background -- on the left side, near the horse's nose -- where the little strokes of white paint are, that shows light reflecting off the soldiers' bayonets.

It was a rare occurrence for artists to depict the plight of enslaved African Americans. Most artists focused on depictions of the war itself. So this painting is especially unique.

Johnson painted African Americans in a time when they were not widely depicted in fine art. He continued to paint African Americans, enslaved and emancipated, until the late 1860s.

Johnson was very aware of the way he represented his subjects and we know that he was sympathetic to the plight of enslaved African Americans. It is thought that he tried to stay true to the appearances of those he depicted.

Are all of the figures African American?

What you see here is a depiction of a slave family fleeing from the South during a battle. If you look closely at the painting you can see the battle beginning in the background - on the left side, near the horse's nose - where the little strokes of white paint suggest light reflecting off the soldiers' bayonets.

Johnson began to paint African Americans in a time when they were not often depicted in art, beyond stereotypes and cartoons. The image of the real, humanized African American person in art was a radical one at the time and Johnson continued to paint African Americans, both enslaved and emancipated, until the late 1860s.

I've seen this painting in documentaries before and I've always wondered about if it was based on an actual event. Do you know?

It is supposedly based on an actual event--the artist, Eastman Johnson, has said that he witnessed this family fleeing and was then inspired to paint the scene. Johnson reportedly witnessed it near the Manassas, Virginia battlefield just days before the Confederate stronghold gave up to the Union forces.

Is that a fair skinned black woman in the painting? Do we know?

It is--Johnson sensitively portrayed a variety of skin tones in his paintings of African Americans. His decision to do so is in sharp contrast to the caricatures and stereotypes that existed at the time.

What was the popular response like for "A Ride for Liberty"?

He made three versions but unfortunately he never exhibited them so it's hard to know what the public response would have been.

Hi! Is there a reason why the faces are difficult to distinguish?

Great question! The artist, Eastman Johnson, wanted to capture the figures fleeting, as he witnessed them. He describes seeing an actual eye-witness account of seeing an enslaved family escaping during the Civil War. To me, it evokes the scene of smoke in the air and dust being kicked up by the trotting horse. If you look closely at the painting you can see the battle beginning in the background -- on the left side, near the horse's nose -0 where the little strokes of white paint suggest light reflecting off the soldiers' bayonets.

Interesting, thank you. Did Johnson depict African-Americans in similar moments of agency and power in other works?

Johnson painted African Americans in a time when they were not often depicted in art, beyond stereotypes and cartoons. Sometimes he showed them in moments of everyday life. For example, one of his best known paintings belongs to the New-York Historical Society. It's called "Negro Life in the South" and it shows a group of enslaved African Americans gathered in their living quarters behind their owners' house in Washington, D.C.

I think there are parallels between the Fugitive Slave Act and current debates about sanctuary cities.

That's a fascinating comparison! You can definitely draw a connection between those who oppose sanctuary cities and the consequences of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

As the Fugitive Slave Act made all Americans complicit in the practice of human bondage, a somewhat apathetic North was galvanized against slavery in rejection of the law. As many Northern states refused to adhere to the law, it became a major contributing factor to the outbreak of the Civil War in the first place.

Right. It makes me think of people who resist being complicit with these laws. Like the Oakland mayor who recently warned people about ICE raids

From that point of view especially, the parallels are clear!

A Ride for Liberty -- The Fugitive Slaves (recto)

Eastman Johnson

American Art

On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Radical Care

In this composition, Eastman Johnson portrayed an enslaved family charging for the safety of Union lines in the dull light of dawn. The absence of white figures in this liberation subject makes it virtually unique in art of the period—these African Americans are independent agents of their own freedom. Johnson claimed to have based the painting on an actual event he witnessed near the Manassas, Virginia, battlefield on March 2, 1862, just days before the Confederate stronghold was ceded to Union forces.

In agony close to her bosom she press’d The life of her heart, the child of her breast:— Oh! love from its tenderness gathering might, Had strengthen’d her soul for the dangers of flight. But she’s free!—yes, free from the land where the slave From the hand of oppression must rest in the grave; Where bondage and torture, where scourges and chains Have plac’d on our banner indelible stains.
—Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (African American poet), “Eliza Harris” (1854)

ARTIST Eastman Johnson, American, 1824–1906

MEDIUM Oil on paperboard

DATES ca. 1862

DIMENSIONS 21 15/16 × 26 1/8 in. (55.8 × 66.4 cm) frame: 3 × 30 3/16 × 35 in. (7.6 × 76.7 × 88.9 cm) (show scale)

SIGNATURE Signed lower right: "E. J."

COLLECTIONS American Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 40.59a-b

CREDIT LINE Gift of Gwendolyn O. L. Conkling

PROVENANCE 1906, inherited from the artist by Elizabeth Williams Buckley Johnson; 1927, inherited from Elizabeth Johnson by Ethel Eastman Johnson Conkling; 1931, inherited from Ethel Eastman Johnson Conkling by Gwendolyn O. L. Conkling; February 26, 1940, gift of Gwendolyn O. L. Conkling to the Brooklyn Museum.

Provenance FAQ

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Radical Care

CAPTION Eastman Johnson (American, 1824–1906). A Ride for Liberty -- The Fugitive Slaves (recto), ca. 1862. Oil on paperboard, 21 15/16 × 26 1/8 in. (55.8 × 66.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gwendolyn O. L. Conkling, 40.59a-b (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.59a_PS9.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 40.59a_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2016

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