Sunday Afternoon (Portrait of John Wesley Washington)

John Wesley Washington appears in a familiar portrait pose, seated with his head turned directly toward the viewer, wearing his Sunday finest. Washington was a formerly-enslaved man who became employed by Hull’s father-in-law and well known to the family. Indeed, Hull painted multiple portraits of him, including one she meaningfully subtitled "An American Citizen." Her work exemplifies the power of an artist to influence how viewers perceive a sitter’s identity.