Description: Rev. Henry Simmons portrait, 1838

Rev. Henry Simmons portrait, 1838

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Collection:	Albert Newsam print collection (#V100)
Date:	1838
Dimensions:	51.9 x 38.2 cm
Box Number:	Box 9
Folder Number:	Folder 11
Format:	Electronic
Subjects and Genres:	Lithograph
Copyright:	Please contact Historical Society of Pennsylvania Rights and Reproductions (rnr@hsp.org)
Online Access:	https://digitallibrary.hsp.org/index.php/Detail/objects/877
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Summary:	Reverend Henry Simmons was born a Virginia slave. He purchased his freedom and traveled to Philadelphia for opportunity to establish an African Baptist congregation. Working as a ragman, he saved up enough to purchase a plot of land and build his church. In 1809, construction was completed on the “First Incorporated African Baptist Church in the City of Philadelphia,” and Simmons achieved his dream and became its Pastor. There is less written about Simmons, but it has been argued, that he was just as influential in the early black community of Philadelphia as his contemporaries, the reverends Absalom Jones and Richard Allen. The church was located near 10th and Vine Street. The engraver of this grandiose portrait, like its subject, had also overcome many obstacles. Albert Newsam was born deaf and orphaned at an early age in his home state of Ohio. He was eventually placed in the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. After graduation, he apprenticed to an engraver in 1827, and later became the primary engraver for publisher Peter S. Duval. His health and eyesight declined in old age and Newsam died destitute in the Living Home for the Sick and Well in Delaware. HSP holds a collection of his delicate, chalk-style portraits.

Summary:

Reverend Henry Simmons was born a Virginia slave. He purchased his freedom and traveled to Philadelphia for opportunity to establish an African Baptist congregation. Working as a ragman, he saved up enough to purchase a plot of land and build his church. In 1809, construction was completed on the “First Incorporated African Baptist Church in the City of Philadelphia,” and Simmons achieved his dream and became its Pastor. There is less written about Simmons, but it has been argued, that he was just as influential in the early black community of Philadelphia as his contemporaries, the reverends Absalom Jones and Richard Allen. The church was located near 10th and Vine Street. The engraver of this grandiose portrait, like its subject, had also overcome many obstacles. Albert Newsam was born deaf and orphaned at an early age in his home state of Ohio. He was eventually placed in the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. After graduation, he apprenticed to an engraver in 1827, and later became the primary engraver for publisher Peter S. Duval. His health and eyesight declined in old age and Newsam died destitute in the Living Home for the Sick and Well in Delaware. HSP holds a collection of his delicate, chalk-style portraits.

Need Help?

Search Tips Research By Mail Contact the Library

Rev. Henry Simmons portrait, 1838

Need Help?

Similar Items