The Story | Bearing Witness

This painting by immigrant painter John Lewis Krimmel (born Johann Ludwig Krimmel) depicts a busy domestic setting with people of different ages and backgrounds. Krimmel’s depiction of the Black girl and the musician contrasts greatly with his watercolor of the Woman in Blue Dress. The oil painting, a more formal artwork likely based on a watercolor, reinforces misrepresentations of African Americans, suggesting contentment in their roles as servants. The watercolor comes from Krimmel’s private notebook.  