Anacostia Community Museum Archives

John Robinson art reproductions

Summary

Collection ID:
ACMA.2005.7014
Dates:
circa 1970s
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2 Items
reproductions
28 x 21inches
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Two signed reproductions of John Robinson's original artwork "Pete" and "Winter Scene." Inscriptions read: "To friend Mr. John Kinard."

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
First and foremost, John N. Robinson considered himself an artist. Born on February 18, 1912 in Georgetown, Robinson was raised by his grandparents in northwest Washington, D.C. after his mother passed away when he was eight years old and his father disappeared, Robinson quit school to help support his family; he worked as a golf caddy at country clubs and dusted cars at a parking garage. A chauffeur at the garage noticed Robinson's drawings on scraps of paper and brought the drawings to the attention of James V. Herring, the head of Howard University's art department. Herring offered Robinson an opportunity to study under James A. Porter. The classes at Howard transformed his interest in art into a passion. Robinson's short time at Howard was the extent of his formal artistic training. When Robinson and his grandparents moved to Anacostia in southeast Washington, D.C. in 1929, he began to paint in earnest. Robinson's paintings reflect everyday life - his home, his family, and his neighborhood. In addition to intimate scenes of family and community life, he completed large scale works including a church mural, Christ at Gethsemane, at Emmanuel Baptist Church. During the 1940s, Robinson exhibited his work and created minute sketches of people at Lafayette and Franklin Parks. He also met artists Pietro Lazzari, Jack Perlmutter, and Jacob Kainen, who got his work into shows at the Corcoran Gallery of Art long before African Americans were welcomed there.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Preferred Citation
Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Copy art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Washington (D.C.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Robinson, John N. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Anacostia Community Museum Archives
1901 Fort Place, SE
Washington, D.C. 20020
ACMArchives@si.edu