Henry Ossawa Tanner · 1893
The Banjo Lesson
Posters from $15 · Canvas from $39
Tanner's most celebrated painting — an elderly Black man teaching his small grandson to play the banjo by a warm fire. The first major American painting to treat a Black domestic scene with full dignity. Hampton University Museum.
Up to 10 × 14 in · portrait
Size
Larger sizes are unavailable for this painting because the source scan's resolution wouldn't print at gallery quality.
Format & finish
Archival cotton canvas stretched over a wooden frame. Ready to hang as-is. No external frame.
Scale next to a 5'10" person
+ tax at checkout
The story of The Banjo Lesson
The Banjo Lesson is an 1893 oil painting by African-American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner. It depicts two African-Americans in a humble domestic setting: an old black man is teaching a young boy – possibly his grandson – to play the banjo.
Adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Henry Ossawa Tanner
Henry Ossawa Tanner was an American artist who spent much of his career in France. He became the first African-American painter to gain international acclaim. Tanner moved to Paris, France, in 1891 to study at the Académie Julian and gained acclaim in French artistic circles. In 1923, the French government elected Tanner chevalier of the Legion of Honor.
All Henry Ossawa Tanner prints →Biography adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
You may also like
Henry Ossawa Tanner · 1894
The Thankful Poor
Mini
From $15
Edward Hopper · 1942
Nighthawks
Mini · Petite · Small · Medium · Large · Extra Large
From $15
Edward Hopper · 1927
Automat
Mini
From $15
Edward Hopper · 1925
House by the Railroad
Mini · Petite · Small
From $15
Edward Hopper · 1930
Early Sunday Morning
Mini
From $15
Edward Hopper · 1940
Gas
Mini · Petite · Small
From $15