May 3, 2025 – January 4, 2026
Inspired by an 1859 essay written by a free black journalist and educator named William J. Wilson, this exhibition takes visitors on a tour of Wilson’s imagined gallery of prints, paintings, sculptures, books, and other decorative objects that represent Black life in the United States and across the Diaspora, as interpreted by curator and historian Dr. Jonathan Michael Square.
Winterthur will for the first time bring this gallery to fruition, using objects from the collections to represent Wilson’s displays. These include a silhouette attributed to Moses Williams, the portrait of George Washington and his family painted by Edward Savage, and copies of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, among others.
The exhibition extends beyond the gallery walls and features books that will be displayed in the library and an exclusive tour of selected objects in the house. Through this multifaceted presentation, the exhibition sheds light on stories that have long been overlooked in American museums and history.
About the Curator
Dr. Jonathan Michael Square
Almost Unknown, The Afric-American Picture Gallery is guest curated by historian Dr. Jonathan Michael Square, assistant professor of Black visual culture at Parsons School of Design. He lectures and writes on Black fashion history and material and visual culture.
House Tour
Almost Unknown: Continue the Journey
Beginning May 3, go beyond the galleries and into the house to see spaces that highlight architecture and objects with connections to the African American experience.
Virtual Course
Envisioning the “Afric-American Picture Gallery”: A Curatorial Journey
Beginning June 4, explore the imaginative and interpretive aspects of the essay that inspired Almost Unknown, The Afric-American Picture Gallery exhibition in this four-module virtual course with guest curator Jonathan Michael Square.
Symposium
Looking Back to the Future: Realizing the “Afric-American Picture Gallery”
The symposium will take place at Winterthur on November 14 and 15, 2025. It will explore broader approaches to how William J. Wilson’s essay can be integrated into American history and how it connects to the legacy of Henry Francis du Pont and the history of Winterthur. The symposium is designed for a diverse audience of professionals, scholars, and enthusiasts of African American history and the wider Wilmington community.
Exhibition Playlist
This playlist is inspired by the 1859 essay “Afric-American Picture Gallery” and the Winterthur exhibition it helped shape. Just as the essay describes powerful scenes of resistance, resilience, and creativity, these tracks weave together sonic textures of liberation and ancestral memory.