African Americans have made extraordinary contributions to the history and culture of the United States as part of the nation and apart from it. This month, Auction Finds presents “28 days (Plus 1)” of this collaborative history. The additional day is intended to break Black history out of the stricture of a month into its rightful place as an equal partner in the history of America. Each day, I will offer artifacts culled from the auction tables and my research, along with the stories they hold.
Feb. 17, 2022
19th-century Black history and art collectors
Artist William Henry Dorsey, journalist/editor James Wesley Cromwell and Edward M. Thomas were among a small group of African American history collectors during the 19th century. Dorsey’s collection included copies of Phillis Wheatley’s book of poems and Frederick Douglass’ autobiography, and a Toussaint L’Ouverture portrait by an African American artist named John G. Chaplin.
Dorsey is best known today for his hundreds of scrapbooks on Black life and culture – the only items that are left of his collection. The collection was housed on the second floor of his home and was perhaps the first museum setting for documentation of Black history.
Cromwell’s books and papers are at Howard University in Washington, DC. Around 1861, Dorsey and Thomas were among a group that began planning an exhibit of works by Black artists. Thomas died in 1863 before the plan could be implemented. In 1897, Dorsey joined collector/historian/activist Robert Adger and others in organizing the American Negro Historical Society to study and preserve Black history. Read the full story.
