The Bone Player

Various artists/makers

Not on view

Five years before the Civil War, Mount received a commission from the French publisher Goupil and Company to paint African American musicians that would be lithographed for European print buyers. This hand-colored image reproduces a life-size painting now at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and shows a well-dressed figure playing a rythmic instrument associated with minstrel shows. The musician's face and dress convey individuality, while the ivory or bone strips he holds associates him a type exotically appealing to Europeans. This version of the print was published in New York, indicating a market on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Bone Player, After William Sidney Mount (American, Setauket, New York 1807–1868 Setauket, New York), Hand-colored lithograph

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.