Edward Mitchell Bannister
(1828-1901)
A pioneering African-American artist, Edward Bannister was born free in New Brunswick, Canada, to Hannah Alexander and Edward M. Bannister on November 28, 1828. Orphaned young, the teenage Edward worked as a sailor and then as a janitor after moving to Boston. There he met hairdressing salon proprietress Madame Christiana Carteaux, who, as Bannister’s wife, would sponsor his artistic pursuits.
Bannister’s distinctive landscape paintings often depicted serene rural settings and seascapes, including his first commissioned work in 1854, “The Ship Outward Bound.” During the 1850s and 60s, Bannister also was active in several abolitionist organizations. In 1864, proceeds from the sale of Bannister’s portrait of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw helped to support the families of soldiers in the 54th Regiment.
After the Bannisters moved to Providence in 1869, their careers flourished. In 1876, judges at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition awarded first prize to Bannister’s painting "Under the Oaks." In an infamous act, when the judges realized the winner was an African American, they attempted to withdraw the award. But, because his work was so remarkable, his competitors insisted that the judges uphold the original decision. In 1880, Bannister helped establish the Providence Art Club as a gallery and meeting place for artists and art enthusiasts. On January 9, 1901, Edward suffered a fatal heart attack while attending a prayer meeting at Elmwood Baptist Church. Providence artists created a ten-foot memorial in the North Burial Ground “to mark the grave of him who while he portrayed nature, walked with God.”
Michelle Valletta, MA, Rhode Island College
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Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828–1901)
Edward Mitchell Bannister’s biography reveals the challenging life of a humble and talented man. A pioneering African American artist, abolitionist, and devout Christian, Bannister was born free on November 28, 1828, in New Brunswick, Canada, to a mother of Scottish descent, Hannah Alexander, and a Barbadian father, Edward M. Bannister. Orphaned at a young age, Edward worked as a seaman during his teenage years and as a janitor after moving to Boston. There he met hairdressing salon proprietress Madame Christiana Carteaux, who, as Bannister’s wife, would sponsor his artistic pursuits.
Bannister’s distinctive landscape paintings generally depicted serene rural settings and seascapes. He also painted portraiture and still-life and experimented with photographic portraits. Carteaux introduced Bannister to upper- and middle-class abolitionist circles, through which he found both friends and patrons. In 1854, he received his first known commission, from African American physician John V. DeGrasse, for the painting The Ship Outward Bound.
During the Civil War, Bannister worked for the cause of abolition in several ways. He served as a delegate to the New England Colored Citizens Conventions in 1859 and 1865 and as an officer in the Colored Citizens of Boston and the Union Progressive Association, and he sang in the Crispus Attucks Choir. In 1864, the proceeds from the sale of Bannister’s portrait of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw supported the families of soldiers from the Massachusetts Fifty-fourth Colored Regiment.
After the Bannisters moved to Providence in 1869, their careers flourished. Bannister’s painting Under the Oaks won first prize at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876. When the judges realized the winner was African American, they attempted to withdraw the award, but because his work was so remarkable,
his fellow competitors insisted that the original decision be upheld. In the 1880s, Bannister helped establish the Providence Art Club as a gallery and meeting place for artists and art enthusiasts and served on the Board of the Rhode Island School of Design. Following their success, the Bannisters moved to a new home on Benevolent Street in 1884.
