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Image Not Available for Negroes with Jackson at New Orleans
Negroes with Jackson at New Orleans
Image Not Available for Negroes with Jackson at New Orleans

Negroes with Jackson at New Orleans

Artist Hale Aspacio Woodruff (American,1900-1980)
Dateca. 1942
MediumTempera on masonite
DimensionsOverall: 28 3/4 x 11 in. (73 x 27.9 cm)
ClassificationsModern art
Credit LineGift of Mr. A. Ailon
Object number83.594
Terms
  • African-American Artist
  • War of 1812
  • Brown
  • Blue
  • Red
  • Yellow
  • Green
  • White
  • Black
  • Pink
  • Multi-colored
  • Atlanta, GA
On View
On view
DescriptionThis is tempera on masonite panel painting. This depicts the First and Second Battalions of Free Men of Color forming guards to protect the private property and setting up the base of operations in New Orleans for Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812. At first glance it is a tangled pyramid of bodies; there is a bustle of various activities, such as chopping wood, loading cargo and moving carts. In the center, Andrew Jackson stands in a blue uniform jacket and yellow pants, arms above his head, with the right hand holding a sword. The background, barely visible through the foreground, is a hazy sky. The men working do not wear uniform clothing, but work tirelessly and with purpose.

Label TextHale Woodruff American, 1900–1980 clockwise from lower left: The Death of Crispus Attucks, ca. 1942 Tempera on board Battle of Lake Erie, ca. 1942 Tempera on board Negroes with Jackson at New Orleans, ca. 1942 Tempera on board Sergeant Carney and the Death of General Shaw, ca. 1942 Tempera on board Plans in 1942 for a new building for the municipal Register of Deeds in Washington, D.C., included a program of murals honoring the heroism of African Americans throughout U.S. history. Hale Woodruff, an art teacher at historically black Atlanta University, submitted proposals for this prestigious commission, including these four panels. Woodruff had studied mural painting under Mexican modernist Diego Rivera. Although he was not successful in this competition, his works decorate many other public buildings and demonstrate the U.S. government’s active sponsorship of African American artists. Gifts of Mr. A. Ailon 82.95, 83.593–595, respectively
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