Illuminating History in William Wilson’s “Afric-American Picture Gallery”

A few years ago, I added William J. Wilson’s “Afric-American Picture Gallery” (1859) to my Early American literature syllabus. Every semester, I add one or two texts I have never taught to my courses. Recently, I have headed over to the Just Teach One site for some ideas. That is where I came across Rosa and the “Afric-American Picture Gallery.” Today, I want to talk briefly about my experiences teaching the text and what I plan to possibly do the next time I decide to teach it. Keep in mind that I taught this text in a survey course, so I did not necessarily get to dive into every aspect of the text. Instead, I focused on overarching topics that connected to other texts we read throughout the semester.

William J. Wilson published the “Afric-American Picture Gallery” under the name of Ethiop in the Anglo-African Magazine, a periodical published by Thomas Hamilton. In 1853, Frederick Douglass’ Paper printed a letter from Wilson where he discussed his recent trips to art galleries in New York City. At he galleries, he commented on the lack of “distinguished black” images and figures in the galleries, concluding, “we must begin to tell our own story, write our own lecture, paint our own picture, chisel our own bust.” Six years later, Wilson heeded his own call by penning the “Afric-American Picture Gallery.”