Streamside

A river winds through the English or New England countryside, its surface catching flecks of blue and white where the light hits the water. Edward Mitchell Bannister painted the banks thick with wildflowers and tall grasses, and the trees on the left are handled with loose, feathery strokes that let the greens blend into one another. The distant hills roll off toward a pale sky, giving the whole scene a sense of open space.

Bannister was one of the first African American artists to win national recognition, and his story is a memorable one. In 1876 he entered a painting in the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition and won a bronze medal, but when he arrived to collect it, officials tried to turn him away once they saw he was Black. The other artists in the room insisted the prize was his. Largely self-taught, Bannister drew inspiration from the French Barbizon painters, who favored honest, mood-filled landscapes over grand historical scenes. This streamside view fits right into that tradition, a plain patch of nature painted with real affection.