Joshua Johnson, "Westwood Children" c. 1807.Johnson, Joshua:

(c1765-1830) Born into slavery, Johson would eventually become free and worked as an artist in Baltimore, Maryland. Known as one of the earliest professional African American painters, Johnson painted portraits that had a style similar to indigenous folk tradition.

Source: Patton, Sharon F. African-American Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. 45-47.