Street: Portrait of Hiram Charles Montier 16" x 20" Archival Poster

$29.00 at Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Elizabeth Brown married bookmaker Hiram Montier in 1841. The two were members of the largest Free Black community in the North, which thrived in Philadelphia even before the complete eradication of slavery in Pennsylvania. The artist depicts the Montiers by using the traditional European vocabulary of aristocratic portraiture, with elegant fashions and grand architectural settings. Fine jewelry and books testify to their prosperity, literacy and faith. This rare pair documents a story of racial integration…