People Near Boat

People Near Boat

This quiet waterfront scene highlights Bannister’s interest in maritime life and the working communities that shaped the North American East Coast. The figures are arranged within the environment to suggest a lived and familiar relationship to the space rather than an idealization . Some observers have speculated that one of the figures may function as a subtle self-portrait. This is reinforced by Bannister’s tendency to insert himself quietly into scenes of everyday labour and mobility. Whether or not intentional, the painting connects Bannister personally to the coastal life and to the labour that defined his world. Its inclusion in the exhibit underscores how Black artists used landscape and genre scenes not only to depict place, but also to position themselves within it, and claim space.

Edward Mitchell Bannister

Bannister, Edward Mitchell. People Near Boat. 1893. Oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. Object no. 1969.13.8.

Smithsonian American Art Museum

1893

Public domain. Image and data courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

1969.13.8

Oil on canvas

8 3/8 x 12 1/4 in. (21.3 x 31.1 cm)