Object Details
Artist
Charles Milton Bell, 3 Apr 1848 - 12 May 1893
Sitter
John Roy Lynch, 10 Sep 1847 - 2 Nov 1939
Exhibition Label
Born near Vidalia, Louisiana
Among the leading African American statesmen during Reconstruction, John Roy Lynch was born in slavery and later sold with his mother and siblings to an enslaver in Natchez, Mississippi. Liberated when Union forces reached Natchez in 1863, Lynch strove to educate himself and soon developed a passion for parliamentary law and politics. Advocating Republican Party initiatives for the advancement of Black people in the South, Lynch spoke persuasively in support of the new Mississippi state constitution, which extended voting rights to African American men. Elected to the state legislature in 1869, he served as speaker of the house during his second term.
In 1873, at the age of twenty-six, Lynch became the first African American to represent Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives. He helped win passage of the long-contested Civil Rights Act of 1875, ensuring equal treatment regardless of race, which Lynch deemed “an act of simple justice.”
Nacido cerca de Vidalia, Luisiana
John Roy Lynch, uno de los principales políticos afroamericanos de la Reconstrucción, nació esclavo y fue vendido con su madre y hermanos a un hacendado de Natchez, Misisipi. Liberado cuando las fuerzas de la Unión llegaron a Natchez en 1863, Lynch se esforzó por educarse y pronto se apasionó por el derecho parlamentario y la política. Abogando por iniciativas del Partido Republicano para el progreso de los afroamericanos en el sur, Lynch defendió la nueva constitución de Misisipi, que extendía el derecho al voto a los hombres negros. Elegido para la legislatura estatal en 1869, presidió la cámara durante su segundo término.
En 1873, a la edad de 26 años, Lynch fue el primer afroamericano que representó a Misisipi en la Cámara de Representantes de EE.UU. Allí impulsó la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1875, largamente debatida, que garantizaba el trato igual, sin distinción de raza, lo cual Lynch consideraba “un simple acto de justicia”.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
c. 1882
Object number
NPG.89.190
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Photograph
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 14.8 × 10.1 cm (5 13/16 × 4")
Mount: 16.3 × 10.5 cm (6 7/16 × 4 1/8")
Mat: 45.7 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14")
Place
United States\District of Columbia\Washington
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Interior
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Goatee
Photographic format\Cabinet card
John Roy Lynch: Male
John Roy Lynch: Law and Crime\Lawyer
John Roy Lynch: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer
John Roy Lynch: Business and Finance\Natural resources commerce\Agriculturist\Farmer
John Roy Lynch: Politics and Government\Government official\US Congressman\Mississippi
John Roy Lynch: Arts and Culture\Visual Arts\Artist\Photographer
John Roy Lynch: Politics and Government\Government official\State Legislator\Mississippi
John Roy Lynch: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Real estate agent
John Roy Lynch: Law and Crime\Justice of the Peace
John Roy Lynch: Law and Crime\Enslaved person
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.89.190