Literature Program, Dean of the College, and American and Indigenous Studies Program Present
Fantasy and the Archive in the “Afric-American Picture Gallery”
In 1859, a series of fictional sketches, unprecedented in the history of African American literature, appeared in the pages of the Anglo-African Magazine. Written under the pen name “Ethiop,” William J. Wilson’s “Afric-American Picture Gallery” offered readers a textual tour of a fictional gallery of art on various subjects related to black life in America. Drawn from real-life paintings, works imagined by the author, and portraits that appeared in the antebellum print sphere, Wilson’s Picture Gallery effectively imagines the first gallery of black art in the United States. In addition to offering an introduction to this fascinating, yet virtually unknown text, this talk will explore the relationship between fantasy and the archive in the Picture Gallery, and how, more specifically, fantasy allows Wilson to critically reflect on the problem of the archive in the contexts of slavery and nominal freedom. I will also discuss a collaborative project, currently underway, to create a digital edition and virtual installation of the Picture Gallery.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
Location: Olin Humanities, Room 102
Save this Event: