Harry Herman Roseland (c. 1867–1950) was an American painter of genre in the early 20th century.[1][2] He was known primarily for paintings centered on poor African-Americans.[3] Roseland himself was white.[4]

Harry Roseland
Born1867 Edit this on Wikidata
Brooklyn Edit this on Wikidata
Died20 December 1950 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 82–83)
The Blessing by Harry Roseland

Roseland was largely self-taught, and never traveled to Europe to study art, as did many of the American artists of his time.[5] However, he did receive instruction from John Bernard Whittaker and later, James Carroll Beckwith.[6] One of his most popular subjects were his paintings of black women fortune tellers who read the palms and tea leaves of white women clients.[7] These paintings were widely reproduced during the early 20th century in the form of postcard sets and large full-colour prints that were distributed as Sunday supplements in newspapers. While known most for his paintings of African Americans, his work encompassed many genres, including seascapes and portraits. He also gained renown for his paintings of laborers in the coastal areas of New England and New York and his many interior paintings.

Roseland was born and lived his entire life in Brooklyn. He was a member of the Salmagundi Club[8] and the Brooklyn Society of Artists;[2] in the latter organization he was a member of the executive board.[9]

Oprah Winfrey has stated that her favorite painting in her personal collection is Roseland's 1904 work, To the Highest Bidder.[10]

Awards edit

Roseland won many awards in his lifetime. These include gold medals from the Brooklyn Art Club (1888), the Boston Art Club (1904), and the American Art Society in Philadelphia (1907). The National Academy of Design awarded him the 1898 Second Hallgarten Prize for An Important Letter. Roseland received many other medals and awards as well.[11]

References edit

  1. ^ "ART / 4 / 2DAY".
  2. ^ a b "The American Magazine of Art". 1918.
  3. ^ http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/reprint/158/5/970.pdf[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Glueck, Grace, "Images of Blacks Refracted in a White Mirror", The New York Times, January 7, 1990, Section 2, p. 1.
  5. ^ "Harry Roseland".
  6. ^ "Harry Roseland - Questroyal".
  7. ^ "Harry Roseland, the Black Fortune Teller, the Mammy, and La Madama". The Mystic Tea Room. mystictearoom.com. 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  8. ^ "Lawrence J. Cantor and Company: Fine Old Art: Artist Biographies". Archived from the original on 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  9. ^ "Year-book of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences". 1905.
  10. ^ Whitaker, Lenyon (11 June 2018). "Oprah keeps this one thing in her house to keep her grounded – Metro US". www.metro.us. Metro US. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Harry Roseland". Pierce Galleries, Inc.

External links edit

  Media related to Harry Roseland at Wikimedia Commons