Between Two Worlds

Cyrus Bruce, free man, formerly enslaved, was known for his dapper appearance when he worked at Langdon House in Portsmouth, NH in 1783, yet when artist Richard Haynes embarked on painting his portrait in 2018, no image of Bruce existed.

Haynes created this interpretive portrait of Bruce in an artist's residency and exhibition, A Life in Color: Two Cultural Makers, Centuries Apart at Historic New England’s Langdon House.

“I have the opportunity to capture the image, the portrait of an unknown man and through this, together, we are going to be cultural keepers and makers. We are going to share the black heritage, the forgotten history, through art.” –Richard Haynes Jr.

Sisterhood of Flowers

The Ebenezer Baptist Church was formed in 1871 in the South End of Boston. Its founder and first pastor, Peter Randolph, was formerly enslaved in Virginia and led a coalition of other formerly enslaved people to Boston. Randolph went on to pen a highly acclaimed autobiography, From Slave Cabin to Pulpit, which detailed how he dedicated his life to ministering throughout Virginia and New England. The Ebenezer Baptist Church became one of the largest Black churches in the city, thanks to the leadership of Randolph and the Rev. Dr. William S. Ravenell, who served as pastor from 1929 to 1966.

The women pictured above comprised the church’s Flower Club, which was in charge of coordinating decoration of the church’s interior. Fresh flowers were placed on the altar every Sunday and for special occasions thanks to these women.

Flight to Freedom

Captured in eastern Africa at about the age of ten, Pedro Tovookan Parris created this autobiographical watercolor on linen fabric showing his progression from captivity as an enslaved African to his life as a freedman in America.

We have no way of knowing the circumstance under which Pedro drew this picture of his journey, but it seems clear he was driven to record his life. Perhaps, forcibly separated from his family, the stories and watercolors in some small measure served to remind Pedro who he was.

Trailblazer

Paul R. Williams 
New Homes for Today, 1946. 
Murray & Gee, Inc., Hollywood, California 

Plan book of homes designed by trail-blazing African American architect Paul R. Williams. Each design covers a two-page spread, with one page dedicated to highlighting the design's unique features, and the opposite page showcasing an illustration of the completed design and a floor plan. 

Paul R. Williams was a prolific architect who was designed some 2,500 public and private buildings, including homes for Hollywood stars such as Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, and Barbara Stanwyck. Much of his work was centered in Southern California, and he is considered a major influence on the twentieth-century architectural style of Los Angeles, though he designed internationally. 

Born 1894, Williams was the first black architect to become a member of the American Institute of Architects in 1923, and in 1957 he was inducted as the AIA's first black fellow. 

Williams was known for his distinctive style, with signature effects of elegant lines and indoor-outdoor harmony, this including use of patios and retractable screens. 

The lettering on the iconic sign of the Beverly Hills Hotel is adapted from his own handwriting, as Williams gave the hotel a facelift in the 1940s. Even as Williams was creating the now-famous look for the hotel, he was not permitted as a guest at the establishment, nor could he use the pool, because of his race. 

While the work of Paul R. Williams is associated with California, this plan book is in the Historic New England Archive as part of the Richard Cheek collection, one of the finest plan books collection in the country and much of which is being donated by Cheek to Historic New England. 

Into the Daybreak

Born enslaved to George and Martha Washington at Mt. Vernon around 1773, Ona Judge spent her early life on a plantation in forced servitude as Martha Washington’s personal slave. Staines accompanied the Washington family when they traveled to New York and Philadelphia.  On these trips, the Washingtons carefully controlled the amount of time Judge spent in Pennsylvania to skirt a law that automatically emancipated any enslaved person who stayed in the state for six months or longer.

On May 21, 1796, at the age of twenty-two, Judge slipped out of the family’s Philadelphia residence. She had learned Martha Washington was going to give her as a gift to her eldest granddaughter, who was known to be abusive. Judge escaped with the help of members of Philadelphia’s free Black community, with whom she had built relationships during earlier visits, and hid on a boat destined for Portsmouth.

Infuriated by her escape and worried it would inspire others whom he had enslaved to do the same, George Washington went to great lengths to try to capture Judge and bring her back to Virginia. He failed every time. Ona Judge spent the rest of her life as a free woman in New Hampshire, where she married and had three children.

Commissioned by Historic New England, Maine-based artist Maya Michaud created the portrait of Judge, drawing inspiration from Historic New England’s eighteenth-century costume collection and historical descriptions of Judge.

The portrait will be on view through the 2025 season at Historic New England’s Langdon House [Portsmouth, NH], where visitors can learn more about Ona Judge Staines, and the Langdon family connection to her story.

Portrait study at Historic New England Center for Preservation and Collections [the Haverhill Center].