Skip to main content

Primary sourcePaintingprobably during Forten's lifetime (1766-1842)

James Forten

Robert Douglass Jr. (probable) · probably during Forten's lifetime (1766-1842)

A watercolor profile portrait of James Forten, the only known likeness of him, probably painted during his lifetime.

This is the only known portrait of Forten, showing how he presented himself as a respectable, successful Black Philadelphian.

Ask James Forten about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Profile portrait of a man with short dark hair and sideburns, facing left, wearing a dark high-collared coat and white cravat against a pale grey background. Painted in warm brown tones.
Attributed to Robert Douglass Jr., James Forten, watercolor, probably painted during Forten's lifetime. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

About this source

What it is

This small watercolor portrait shows a man in profile, wearing a dark high-collared coat and white cravat. It was probably painted during James Forten's lifetime by Robert Douglass Jr., a Black artist working in Philadelphia. The painting is held by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Why it matters

This is the only known image of Forten, a formerly enslaved sailmaker who became a wealthy businessman and a leading Black abolitionist in Philadelphia. That it was painted by a fellow Black Philadelphian, Robert Douglass Jr., links Forten to a wider community of free Black artists and activists in the city.

Look closer

  • What does Forten's clothing suggest about his status and how he wished to be seen?
  • Why might having a known portrait matter for how later generations remember a historical figure?
  • What questions can't this portrait answer about Forten's life and work?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Forten on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More James Forten sources

Meet the AI James Forten →
Profile portrait in watercolor of a man with short dark hair and dark side-whiskers, facing left, wearing a dark coat and white neckcloth against a grey, mottled background.Painting

Primary source

Watercolor portrait of James Forten

Robert Douglass Jr. (probable) · 18th or 19th century, before 1842

Front page of The Liberator, Boston, Friday, January 3, 1862, Vol. XXXII, No. 1, Whole No. 1619. A woodcut vignette of figures, including a standing woman, sits above the masthead. Dense columns of small printed text fill the page.Newspaper article

Primary source

The Liberator

William Lloyd Garrison · 1831-1865

Front page scan of Freedom's Journal, Vol. 1 No. 3, dated New-York, Friday, March 30, 1827. Masthead reads 'Freedom's Journal' with the motto 'Righteousness Exalteth a Nation.' Dense multi-column newsprint text with article headings, including one on Capt. Paul Cuffee.Newspaper article

Primary source

Freedom's Journal

Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm (editors) · 30 March 1827

Scan of the front page of The Liberator, Vol. I, No. 1, Boston, January 1, 1831, with the masthead 'THE LIBERATOR' in large letters over dense newsprint columns. Brownish water stains and a handwritten name appear at the top. Printed by William Lloyd Garrison and Isaac Knapp.Newspaper article

Primary source

The Liberator, Issue No. 1

William Lloyd Garrison and Isaac Knapp · 1 January 1831

Hand-colored 1829 print titled Life in Philadelphia, Plate XI. A Black woman in a green patterned dress and large plumed hat stands at a shop counter asking a white clerk for flesh-colored silk stockings. The clerk holds a black stocking. Another woman in yellow appears at right. Published by W. Simpson, Chestnut St., Philadelphia, May 1829.Artifact

Primary source

Life in Philadelphia, Plate XI

Edward Williams Clay · May 1829

Ready when you are

Start chatting with James Forten now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions