Heroes of the Colored Race

Joseph Hoover, 1830 - 1913 · 1881

This print honors prominent individuals who advocated for the civil and political rights of African Americans during the Reconstruction era. At center, the world-famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass is flanked by portraits of Blanche Bruce and Hiram Revels of Mississippi, the first Black senators (and the last until 1967). Four Black members of the House of Representatives appear in the corners: John Lynch (Mississippi), Joseph Rainey (South Carolina), Robert Smalls (South Carolina), and Charles Nash (Louisiana). American flag motifs surround portraits of Presidents Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and Ulysses S. Grant (at top), as well as abolitionist John Brown (below).