FIRM HUMANITY: JOHN BROWN’S BLESSING AND ITS ROOTS IN ECCE HOMO IMAGERY

Shortly after the conclusion of the American Civil War, American artist Thomas Satterwhite Noble created a group of paintings dealing with themes of abolition and slavery. One of these, John Brown’s Blessing (1867) was in commemoration of the eighth anniversary of the well-known abolitionist’s execution. This thesis analyzes the connections to other objects that Noble likely based his painting on and establishes links to images of Christ. I argue that John Brown’s Blessing has more overt connections to ecce homo imagery rather than simple comparisons of Brown and Christ as martyrs. With its many noble messages, John Brown’s Blessing became an act of personal redemption for Noble who may have been seeking forgiveness for his role in the Confederacy.