Portrait of Enslaved Man Dispels Years of Falsehoods 

For many years, Frederick Baker’s narrative while enslaved was obscured by a sanitized version of history that local historians at Longwood mansion in Natchez, Mississippi, propagated. Recent discoveries concerning a rare pre-Emancipation painting displayed at the historic site have lifted the veil on Baker’s true story, challenging years of misleading accounts that elevated the status of his White enslavers.

The 19th-century oil painting “Portrait of Frederick,” credited to artist C.R. Parker around 1840, stands as one of two documented portraits featuring enslaved individuals in Mississippi. A collaborative acquisition by the Crystal Bridges museum and the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA), which also houses “Portrait of Delia” by James Reid Lambdin from the same era, resulted in a purchase made in April for $508,750.

Before the sale, Louisiana historian and author Katy Morlas Shannon was commissioned by the auction house to delve into the background of the individual portrayed. With experience in uncovering the identity of Bélizaire, a Black youth painted over in a family portrait, she meticulously researched through historical letters, documents, plantation records, and newspapers from January to March this year.

Her investigations disclose a history fraught with violence, deprivation, and relentless labor that Baker and his family endured during enslavement, effectively discrediting numerous myths propagated by Longwood since the Pilgrimage Garden Club took charge of the site in 1970.

The Pilgrimage Garden Club, known for its tours of other historic homes associated with slavery, has faced backlash for glorifying the Confederacy while downplaying the brutal realities of slavery. Their website describes Longwood as “the largest octagonal house in America,” without acknowledging its connection to a history of enslavement, focusing instead on a narrative surrounding its original builder and his family.

In an essay for the auction listing, Morlas Shannon highlighted how promotional materials from Longwood colloquially portrayed Haller Nutt, the estate’s former owner and a notorious enslaver, as a compassionate figure who ultimately freed Baker. “Dr. Nutt was a sober man who took his duties and obligations seriously. He felt deep concern for the approximately 800 slaves who worked his plantations and cared for the family’s homes,” professor William Whitwell noted in his 2009 publication The Heritage of Longwood.

Moreover, the portrayal of Baker as merely a “subservient best friend” to his enslaver, depicted by Whitwell as a loyal butler known as “Uncle Frederick” who continued to look after Nutt’s family after his passing, perpetuated an inaccurate narrative. “Frederick [Baker] has become the stuff of legend for Confederate apologists and tourists,” reflected Morlas Shannon.

Hyperallergic has reached out to the Pilgrimage Garden Club for their perspective on these revelations.

It remains uncertain why the Nutts chose to commission Baker’s portrait, which Morlas Shannon believes was created in the 1830s or early 1840s at Laurel Hill Plantation. The artist had connections with the Nutt family and was well-known for painting portraits of figures like George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette for the Louisiana legislature.

Morlas Shannon pointed out that while the painting presents Baker as a seemingly autonomous figure, the tragic reality is that he had no true freedom of choice regarding his representation. The portrait became yet another means of objectifying Frederick Baker, highlighting a grim legacy. “Frederick Baker’s family never owned a painting or photograph that allowed them to remember their father and grandfather,” she noted. “Even after gaining their freedom, those who had enslaved Frederick retained ownership of his likeness posthumously.”

In a similar vein, “Portrait of Delia” remained in the hands of her enslavers for years until the MMA acquired it in 2018. This particular work captures a house servant on the Mount Repose plantation, once owned by William Bisland. Although the artist was a relative of the Bislands, the MMA has limited information regarding the painting’s provenance.

Currently, “Portrait of Frederick” is exhibited at the MMA until December 1 as part of a temporary exhibition titled Figments, which addresses the complex histories of Black individuals represented in visual art. The painting is set to travel to Crystal Bridges for a year in May 2026, after which it will alternate between the two museums in three-year cycles.