352:"Mr. Lewis, in many respects, was a remarkable man, and had his lines been cast in different places, and his earlier years been spent under different skies, surrounded by other influences and aids, the space he would have filled in the world’s notice might have been one that biography would not have spurned, and without the record of which, future encyclopedias would be incomplete. As a portrayer of southern Negro life and a certain phaze of “white trash” existence, he had no living master. In this respect he was a genius, and when his equal shall come to us again, we do not know. Indeed, the only fault that could be found with Mr. Lewis’ work in this line, was that he builded too well, for so realistic were his sketches that the fine sensitiveness of the race was frequently aroused and offended...It were but simple charity to hope that it is well with him today, and that death was but an aperture through which his feverish and worn spirit took its way to spheres of higher mysteries, and a completer life, where conditions may not interfere, or man’s narrowness or unfair hatred prevent the full expression of his unique and striking gifts."
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wrote of him, " He no education, except that he could read and write yet his proficiency with the pencil and burin was something remarkable. His idea of form was excellent, and he had little trouble to rapidly reproduce anything that came under his observation. He was far from being attractive in
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and his
Republican administration, for failing to support job opportunities for blacks, and on politicians' general refusal to acknowledge the importance of racism. His cartoon of Harrison, unconscious and sitting on a throne, as black men blared bugles at him, sparked controversy, especially in
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for about a year. It is suspected that the economic pressures of The
Freeman forced him to steer away from political drawings, as when his works reappeared, they were only humorous or general commentary about race relations, with exception of two illustrations that were indirectly critical of
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Despite his inclusion at the
Smithsonian, mention of Lewis is absent from most art history knowledge. However, more of his work has been unearthed by today's artists. Noted African American sculptor, Garland Martin Taylor, said of Lewis's work:
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When he was a boy, he fell into a fire, which left his left eye blind and his left hand crippled. As an adult, his seared skin twisted and he wore an eye-patch, making him look "as odd, in appearance, as any character
Dickens gave to the world."
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The oldest known cartoons by H. J. Lewis were published in 1872. By 1879, H.J. was working as a freelance artist, selling drawings of city scenes, Arkansas River scenes, and
Mississippi floodwaters to national publications such as
363:"...every single inch of the canvas has meaning. There's not a wasted stroke. It's like he's documenting something and there's a reason for each drawing....Art, as Lewis knew so well, is never just about style but meaning."
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article praised his work, calling him an artist whose sketches, of both imaginary and real scenes, were "wonderfully correct,” and projecting a “brilliant and successful future” for him.
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Lewis' early work for The
Freeman covered various topics, particularly around race i.e. lynching. However, the most common theme of his cartoons included biting criticism on President
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While working there, he learned some artistic techniques from the staff engravers. During that time, he also occasionally contracted his cartoons out to
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614:"Drawing inspiration from the past 19th-century black political cartoonist causes DuSable Museum artist to think deeper about his own work"
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565:; Brown, Joshua (2005). "Forever Free: the story of Emancipation and Reconstruction". Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 187–188.
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personal appearance...Yet he was a genius, and with proper direction might have made his way in the world." The
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He was self-educated, never attending school a day in his life. He was known to be "remarkably bright."
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In
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on March 28, 1891. By the time of his death, he had given up any hope for true racial justice.
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Lewis died April 9 or 10, 1891. The cause of death, on his death certificate, was given as "
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In what was his final work, Lewis – a
Christian – drew an architectural drawing of St. Paul
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Henry
Jackson Lewis, "H.J.", was born a slave, around 1857, near Water Valley, the seat of
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484:"The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture: Henry Jackson Lewis (1837?–1891)"
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remarked that he "stood toward the head of the colored artists of the country."
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Henry
Jackson Lewis in the offices of The Freeman in Indianapolis, c. 1890
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Around 1885, due to sparse available work, Lewis became a porter for the
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Following the Harrison drawing, Lewis' cartoons disappeared from
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328:"The Freeman's Political Horoscope," by H.J. Lewis. Aug. 3, 1889
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The Emergence of Editorial Cartoons by African American Artists
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After Lewis's death, obituaries lauded him and his work. The
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H. J. Lewis and His Family in Indiana and Beyond, 1889–1990s
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Common-Place, Interactive Journal of Early American Life
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Being the first African-American political cartoonist
448:. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. 26 May 1883.
320:"The Race Problem Again" by H.J. Lewis. June 2, 1889
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Indiana where Harrison had been U.S. Senator before
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500:Jeter, Marvin D. (1993). Wilma L. Gibbs (ed.).
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547:Palmer, Edward (1990). Marvin D. Jeter (ed.).
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612:Turner Trice, Dawn (29 Jul 2013).
163:"The National Executive Asleep" -
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616:. Chicago Tribune. Archived from
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167:, by H.J. Lewis. Oct. 19, 1889.
670:American editorial cartoonists
551:. University of Alabama Press.
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520:Art in Mississippi, 1720-1980
504:. Indiana Historical Society.
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446:"Ancient Mounds in Arkansas"
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582:"Death of a Colored Artist"
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123:Mississippi
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644:Categories
596:"Obituary"
563:Eric Foner
369:References
23:H.J. Lewis
245:India-ink
189:of the
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304:Legacy
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