Palmer River
1885
Painter, American, c. 1828 - 1901
The Palmer River flows from Massachusetts into Rhode Island. Bannister’s depiction reflects his admiration for French landscape artists, but it is also a study of weather. In the foreground, the shoreline is sprinkled with wildflowers. Over the calm waters of the river, a band of clouds dips low, heavy with moisture.
Bannister first made his living as a barber after being denied access to formal artistic training because of his race. Early portrait commissions from prominent members of the Black community in Boston launched his career. Following the Civil War — during which he was deeply involved in antislavery activities — he moved to Providence, Rhode Island, and turned his attention to landscape painting.
West Building Main Floor, Gallery 68
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil on canvas
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Credit Line
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Dimensions
overall: 61.6 × 86.6 cm (24 1/4 × 34 1/8 in.)
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Accession
2021.11.1
More About this Artwork
Article: Your Tour of Black Artists at the National Gallery
These 10 works by Black artists are on view in our galleries, so you can see them during your next visit.
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
Scott A. Smith, by 1901; by descent in his family. acquired c. 1960s by Joseph K. and Anne Ott, Providence; acquired 1985 by Daniel R. Mechnig, Providence; (sale, Sotheby's, New York, 19 May 2021, no. 46); purchased 2021 by NGA.
Associated Names
Exhibition History
1901
Bannister Memorial Exhibition, Providence Art Club, Rhode Island, January 1901.
1985
Hidden Heritage: The Art of Black America 1800-1950, The Art Museum Association of America in California, San Francisco, (tour?) 1985-1990, no. 16.
1990
Edward M. Bannister Exhibition, Providence Art Club, Rhode Island; Newport Art Museum, Rhode Island, 1990-1991.
1992
Edward Mitchell Bannister 1828-1901, Kenkeleba House, New York; Stamford, Connecticut; Whitney Museum of American Art at Champion, 1992-1993, p. 13.
1997
Edward Mitchell Bannister, Providence Art Club, Rhode Island, May-June 1997.
2001
Edward M. Bannister: A Centennial Retrospective, Roger King Gallery of Fine art, Newport, Rhode Island; Kenkeleba House, New York, 2001-2002, p. 14.
2007
Barbizon to Impressionism Exhibit, Newport Art Museum, Rhode Island, 2007-2008.
2009
Black Entrepreneurs of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, Museum of African American History Boston and Nantucket, Nantucket; Federal Reserve Bank, Boston, 2009-2010, p. 9.
2010
Our Founders, Providence Art Club, Rhode Island, 2010.
2013
Mapping Realism: Paintings from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium and American Collections, McMullen Museum of Art, Boston, 2013, no. 48, repro.
2018
Edward Mitchell Bannister, Gilbert Stuart Museum, Saunderstown, Rhode Island, 2018.
Bibliography
2021
Anderson, Nancy K. "Gifts & Acquisitions." Art for the Nation no. 64 (Fall 2021): 16-17, repro.
Inscriptions
lower left: E M Bannister 85
Wikidata ID
Q108686748