Portrait of James Forten, 1818

Born in 1766, Forten grew up in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary era becoming a war-time privateer when he was 14 years old. By the time of this portrait, he would have been about 52 years old. He appeared in a bust-length, side profile view with a head-full of dark hair and mutton-chop sideburns, wearing a white tied collar, visible above the collar of a dark-colored jacket. Click on the image to view a full-size version in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania Digital Collection.

Courtesy of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Title: Portrait of James Forten, 1818
Date: 1818
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Object Information: Watercolor on paper
Repository: Historical Society of Philadelphia Digital Library | Leon Gardiner Collection of American Negro Historical Society Records | #151.

Description:
This is a watercolor portrait of James Forten likely painted by African American artist, Robert Douglass Jr. around 1818. By this time, Forten was a father, prominent businessman, and community leader fighting for many social issues including the abolition of slavery. Alongside Absalom Jones, in 1794, he helped establish the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas and several schools for Black American children and adults. When the American Anti-Slavery Society meeting convened at Forten’s house in 1833, invitees included founders Robert Purvis, who had married Forten’s daughter Harriet, and William Lloyd Garrison, who, with Forten’s support, published The Liberator newspaper. Also in 1833, Forten's wife, Charlotte Vandine, and his daughters, Margaretta, Harriet, and Sarah were also among the founders of the interracial Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society.