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William Edouard Scott, Frederick Douglass Appealing to President Lincoln,  Recorder of Deeds building, 515 D St., NW, Washington, DC, 1943.jpg

Frederick Douglass Appealing to President Lincoln

William Eduardo Scott completed this mural in 1943. The mural depicts a historical meeting during which the abolitionist Frederick Douglass advised President Lincoln to enlist black soldiers into the Union Army during the Civil War. A national competition was held for this mural commission, part of a series installed in the Recorder of the Deeds Building in Washington D.C. Artists were asked to depict episodes from African American history. Out of 300 applicants, seven were selected. Scott was the only African American artist. The subjects of the other panels were Crispus Attucks, Benjamin Banneker, the death of Colonel Shaw at Fort Wagner, slaves building bulwarks from cotton bales at the Battle of New Orleans, Cyrus Tiffany saving Commodore Perry’s life at the Battle of Lake Erie, and Matthew Henson planting the American flag at the North Pole.    

Eugene 'Edaw' Wade, Cramton Auditorium Mural, Howard University, 1976 [destroyed].jpg

Cramton Auditorium Mural

In 1976, Eugene Eda Wade created a mural at Howard University  in Washington D.C. The mural depicts the abolitionists Sojourner Truth and Nathaniel Turner attempting to break chains, as well as the abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, and leaders Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. The mural has now been destroyed. 

Mekbib Gebertsadik, From Menelik I to Obama, Gospel Rescue Ministries building, 810 5th Street, NW, Washington DC, 2009.jpg

From Menelik I to Obama

Ethiopian artist Mekbib Gebertsadik put the abolitionist Frederick Douglass alongside President Lincoln, the abolitionist John Brown, Malcolm X, President Obama and Michelle Obama. Titling the mural From Menelik I to Obama, Gebertsadik also placeed Douglass on a timeline of diasporic history that starts with Menelik I, the first Solomonic Emperor of Ethiopia in 950 BC, to President Barack Obama, the first African American president. The mural is a few blocks away from the White House at the Gospel Rescue Ministries homeless shelter, acting as a symbol of hope for those passing through. “Primarily, the clients we serve are African American and [the mural is] an inspiration to our clients of being able to dream” explains Earl Murray, Associate Director for Development and Marketing for Gospel Rescue Ministries.

G. Byron Peck, Frederick Douglass, 12th St at Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC, 1995 [destroyed 2002].jpg

Frederick Douglass

G. Byron Peck created this mural in Washington D.C. on the side of a boutique hotel called the Swiss Inn. In 2002, the mural was lost from public view when a luxury apartment complex was built next door, against the mural wall. The image depicts multiple stages of Frederick Douglass’ life against the backdrop of the American flag. In the 1990s, Peck became well-known in Washington D.C. after covering more than 300,000 square feet of the city's walls with his murals. Peck is now the founder, artistic firector and lead artist for all City Arts murals in the D.C. area.

MTC Studios, Frederick Douglass Recreation Center mural, W Street SE at 14th Street SE, Washington D.C., 2012 (2).jpg

Frederick Douglass Recreation Center Mural

Painted in 2012 by MTC Studio, the mural depicts the black abolitionist Frederick Douglass shaking hands with President Abraham Lincoln. An older version of Douglass is offset to the right side of the mural. The mural site is adjacent to the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Anacostia, Washington D.C.

Aniekan Udofia, Bread for the City, 1640 Good Hope Road SE, Washington D.C., 2011.jpg

Bread for the City

In 2011, muralist Aniekan Udofia painted Bread for the City in Anacostia, D.C., close to the historic site of Frederick Douglass' house. The mural depicts Douglass in the younger, radical phase of his life, surrounded by doves and children, and the words “One People,” “One Community,” and “Building Together.” By 2016, the mural had been destroyed.

Alfred Smith, The Dignity of Work, W Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue (Black Neighborhood), Anacostia, Washington DC, 1989.jpg

The Dignity of Work

In 1989, muralist Alfred Smith painted a mural in Anacostia, D.C., near Frederick Douglass’ residence during the last years of his life. It depicted the silhouette of Douglass alongside scenes from a labour protest. The mural, titled The Dignity of Work, contains a quotation from a speech by Douglass in 1888 before the International Council of Women. The mural had been destroyed by 2016.

Parkview Recreation Center Mural, Northwest at Otis Pl (Black Neighborhood), Washington DC, 1990s [destroyed 2010].jpg

Parkview Recreation Center Mural

This mural was painted in the 1990s on the side of the Parkview Recreation Center in northwest Washington D.C. It depicts the faces of Thurgood Marshall, Mary McCleoud Bethune and the antislavery leader Frederick Douglass. In 2010 the mural was repainted and includes the same faces. 

Maurice Myron, Last Supper, Union Temple Baptist Church, 1225 W. Street SE (Black Neighborhood), Washington, DC, 1990.jpg

Last Supper

In 1990, muralist Maurice Myron Jenkins created an alternative version of Leonardo da Vinci’s 1494 fresco The Last Supper. The 30 by 19 foot mural depicts the last supper with a black Christ and 12 historical black figures as the prophets. Jenkins chose the Union Temple Baptist Church in Anacostia, Washington D.C. as his canvas because of its role in black history all the way back to its affiliation with Anacostia-resident Frederick Douglass in the 19th century.The mural includes the antislavery figures of Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, as well as Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, Mary McLeod Bethune, Nelson Mandela, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois.