Frontispiece to "A Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper, from American Slavery"
John Cochran, 1821 - 1865 Henry Room, 1802 - 1850 (after)
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- Stipple engraving on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 14.3 × 8.7 cm (5 5/8 × 3 7/16"); Book closed: 15.2 × 9.6 × 1.2 cm (6 × 3 3/4 × 1/2"); Book open: 15.2 × 19.1 × 1 cm (6 × 7 1/2 × 3/8")
- Holding institution
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- Image provider
- smithsonian-national-portrait-gallery
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Art Genome Taxonomy
10 tags
Subject Matter
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Individual Portrait Both · 99%
The image clearly depicts a single sitter in a centered bust portrait, and the catalog identifies the subject as Moses Roper and the work as a portrait.
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Human Figure Both · 99%
A human bust is directly visible; the catalog identifies the sitter as Moses Roper: Male.
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Text Both · 99%
The sitter’s name, “Moses Roper,” is visibly inscribed beneath the portrait, while the catalog identifies the work as a book frontispiece with a titled narrative.
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Related to Literature Metadata · 91%
The catalog classifies the object as a frontispiece to a narrative book and identifies Roper as a writer in its subject headings.
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Political Metadata · 95%
The catalog identifies Roper as a social reformer, civil rights activist, abolitionist, and enslaved person, and the title explicitly concerns escape from American slavery.
Visual Qualities
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Black and White Visual · 94%
The engraved image uses a monochrome range of dark marks and gray tones against a pale, warm-aged paper ground, without distinct color passages.
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Highly Detailed Visual · 96%
Fine stippling, crosshatching, and closely controlled tonal marks articulate the sitter’s face, hair, clothing, and neckwear.
Medium and Techniques
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Etching/Engraving Both · 99%
The image is constructed from fine stippling and engraved linework, while the catalog specifies stipple engraving on paper.
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Work on Paper Both · 99%
The visible image is printed on a paper sheet, and the catalog identifies the support as paper.
Time Periods
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19th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog dates the work to 1843, placing it within the nineteenth century.
Source & rights
John Cochran, 1821 - 1865. Frontispiece to "A Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper, from American Slavery". National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.