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“Mine is a quiet exploration—a quest for new meanings in color, texture and design. Even though I sometimes portray scenes of poor and struggling people, it is a great joy to paint.” -Lois Mailou Jones
For forty years, Jones taught at Howard University, an historically black college in Washington, D.C.; Portrait of Hudson is a sensitive portrayal of one of her students. Here she sought to represent the concept of the “New Negro,” as popularized during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s , which promoted dignity, advocacy, and agency in the face of Jim Crow segregation.
A pioneering artist of color, Jones began her career as a textile designer. She later turned to painting and traveled to Paris, where she felt significantly less restricted by racial boundaries. On her return to the United States, however, racism continued to affect her career. In 1938, she had a friend enter her into a competition at Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art—because African American artists were not permitted to apply. She won a major prize.
Portrait of Hudson
Loïs Mailou Jones (American, 1905–1998)
1932
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
61 x 45.7 cm (24 x 18 in.)
Credit Line
The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection
Accession Number2011.1796
OUT ON LOAN
On display at Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution, March 22, 2024 – January 4, 2026
On display at Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution, March 22, 2024 – January 4, 2026
CollectionsAmericas
ClassificationsPaintings
“Mine is a quiet exploration—a quest for new meanings in color, texture and design. Even though I sometimes portray scenes of poor and struggling people, it is a great joy to paint.” -Lois Mailou Jones
For forty years, Jones taught at Howard University, an historically black college in Washington, D.C.; Portrait of Hudson is a sensitive portrayal of one of her students. Here she sought to represent the concept of the “New Negro,” as popularized during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s , which promoted dignity, advocacy, and agency in the face of Jim Crow segregation.
A pioneering artist of color, Jones began her career as a textile designer. She later turned to painting and traveled to Paris, where she felt significantly less restricted by racial boundaries. On her return to the United States, however, racism continued to affect her career. In 1938, she had a friend enter her into a competition at Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art—because African American artists were not permitted to apply. She won a major prize.
ProvenanceCollection of the artist. By 1994, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York; October 1994, sold by Michael Rosenfeld Gallery to John Axelrod, Boston; 2011, sold by Axelrod to the MFA. (Accession date: June 22, 2011)
Copyright© Lois Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust