Streamside

Edward Mitchell Bannister prints bring the quiet pastures, woodland paths and Rhode Island shores of nineteenth-century New England into your home. Bannister was a Canadian-born African American painter of the American Barbizon school, an abolitionist, and a founder of the Providence Art Club. Our collection of fine art prints covers his pastoral landscapes with cattle and farm workers, coastal scenes around Newport and Narragansett Bay, sunsets and a few portraits and still lifes.

About Edward Mitchell Bannister

Edward Mitchell Bannister was born on 2 November 1828 in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, near the St. Croix River. His father, born in Barbados, died when he was small, and his mother, who first encouraged his love of art, died in 1844. As a young man he copied family portraits and engravings, worked aboard ships, and in the late 1840s moved to Boston, where he and his brother worked as barbers. Racial prejudice kept him out of the art schools and apprenticeships he wanted, so he largely taught himself.

In Boston he married Christiana Carteaux, a successful hairdresser and businesswoman, in 1857, and both were active in the abolitionist movement. His first oil commission, The Ship Outward Bound, came in 1854. He trained in photography, studied life drawing at night with William Rimmer at the Lowell Institute, and was inspired by the Barbizon-influenced paintings of William Morris Hunt. During the Civil War he painted a portrait of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw to raise money for Black soldiers.

In 1869 the couple moved to Providence, Rhode Island, and Bannister became a full-time painter. His large oil Under the Oaks won a medal at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, judged from the painting alone. He was an original board member of the Rhode Island School of Design in 1878 and in 1880 helped found the Providence Art Club, whose first meeting was held in his studio. He died in Providence on 9 January 1901, at a prayer meeting in his church.

Style and Subjects

Bannister admired Jean-François Millet and the French Barbizon painters, and his landscapes share their love of the countryside: cows drinking at a pool, oxen pulling a hay cart, a woman walking a path at dusk, men at work in the fields. The mood is calm and reflective, built from soft colour and changing light, often at sunset or under a gathering storm.

A lifelong sailor, he also painted the Rhode Island coast, with rocks at Newport, fishing shacks, sailboats and squalls off Brenton Light. Alongside the landscapes he painted portraits, biblical and mythological scenes and still lifes, and the collection includes examples of each.

Famous Works

• Newspaper Boy (1869), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A portrait of a young newsboy, one of his best-known figure paintings.
• Under the Oaks (1876). The large oak landscape that won a medal at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.
• Driving Home the Cows (1881), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A herder bringing cattle home, typical of his pastoral subjects.
• After the Shower (1885), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A landscape freshened by passing rain, showing his control of light and atmosphere.
• The Palmer River (1885). A quiet Rhode Island river scene from his mature years in Providence.
• Approaching Storm (1886), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A landscape under a gathering storm, showing his feeling for weather and light.
• The Drinking Pool (1894), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. Women gathered at the water's edge, from a late series of pool scenes.

Decorating with Bannister Prints

Bannister's pastoral scenes are restful and easy to live with. A print such as Driving Home the Cows or Pleasant Pastures suits a living room, bedroom or farmhouse-style kitchen, and its soft greens and golden light go well with natural wood, linen and warm neutral walls.

For a coastal home, a bathroom or a sunroom, choose the seaside pictures, such as Rocks at Newport or Seaweed Gatherers. Newspaper Boy makes a strong single portrait for a study or hallway.

FAQ

What art movement was Edward Mitchell Bannister part of?

Bannister belonged to the American Barbizon school. He admired Jean-François Millet and the French Barbizon painters, and his work also has links with Tonalism.

What is Edward Mitchell Bannister's most famous painting?

Under the Oaks, which won a medal at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, made his name nationally. Newspaper Boy (1869) and Approaching Storm (1886) at the Smithsonian American Art Museum are among his best-known surviving works.

Why is Bannister important in American art history?

He was one of the first African American artists to win national recognition, despite being shut out of formal art training. He also helped found the Providence Art Club and was a founding board member of the Rhode Island School of Design.

Where can I see Bannister's paintings?

The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington holds a large group of his works. Others are in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, and Rhode Island College named its art gallery after him in 1978.

Related Artists

• Jean-François Millet: French Barbizon painter whose rural subjects Bannister admired
• William Morris Hunt: Boston painter whose Barbizon-influenced work inspired Bannister
• William Rimmer: taught Bannister life drawing at the Lowell Institute in Boston
• Robert S. Duncanson: African American landscape painter whose example Bannister likely knew
• John La Farge: painter Bannister met at Boston's Studio Building