Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

'Black Admiral' Painting Found to Be a Fraud
npr ^ | May 11, 2006 | unknown

Posted on 05/18/2006 7:09:08 PM PDT by tbird5

A portrait of a dashing young sea captain often called the "Black Admiral" was supposed to be a centerpiece for an exhibition of paintings from the Revolutionary War era about black patriots and loyalists. But the portrait, often seen in books on African-American history, was recently discovered to be a fraud.

Peter Williams, an expert on painting restoration, was hired to clean the portrait for an exhibit at the historic Fraunces Tavern Museum titled "Fighting for Freedom: Black Patriots and Black Loyalists." But with a quick dab of special paint remover, he discovered that black paint concealed a portrait of a white sailor underneath.

The painting is owned by Alexander McBirney, a retired doctor living in Rhode Island. Williams says he admires McBirney for wanting the truth to be revealed.

"He could have kept the secret and sold the painting for a huge profit," Williams says.

Williams believes the fraud was probably committed sometime in the early 1970s. He completed the restoration and McBirney kept the painting.

"I believe it now proudly rests in Dr. McBirney's living room," he says.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: art; blackhistory; fraud; revolutionarywar
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-35 next last

1 posted on 05/18/2006 7:09:09 PM PDT by tbird5
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: tbird5

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060515ta_talk_baard


2 posted on 05/18/2006 7:09:33 PM PDT by tbird5
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tbird5

3 posted on 05/18/2006 7:12:06 PM PDT by SIDENET (Gonna shake it, gonna break it, let's forget it better still)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tbird5

And I suppose that portrait of all those dogs playing poker is a fraud too?


4 posted on 05/18/2006 7:24:02 PM PDT by Horatio Gates (Remember the Alamo!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Horatio Gates

That was a photograph, silly!


5 posted on 05/18/2006 7:29:31 PM PDT by jigsaw (God Bless Our Troops. Our thanks to each and every one of you!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: tbird5

Someone's having a good laugh.


6 posted on 05/18/2006 7:31:38 PM PDT by gotribe (It's not a religion.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: gotribe

Funny thing is, the owner had the face repainted black.


7 posted on 05/18/2006 7:34:07 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: tbird5

typical.


8 posted on 05/18/2006 7:36:02 PM PDT by GodfearingTexan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SIDENET

Lousy effort at making the guy a black man. He looks green. First alien admiral of the Revolution?


9 posted on 05/18/2006 7:36:27 PM PDT by popdonnelly
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: stainlessbanner
Funny thing is, the owner had the face repainted black.

Are you sure? That part seemed vague.

10 posted on 05/18/2006 7:48:24 PM PDT by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done, needs to be done by the government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: tbird5
...the fraud was probably committed sometime in the early 1970s.....

Maybe it was one of J.J.'s paintings from Good Times.

11 posted on 05/18/2006 8:09:12 PM PDT by spall
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mind-numbed Robot
< snip > "He’s even had the sailor restored to his faux blackness." < /snip >
from the NYer article
12 posted on 05/18/2006 8:18:50 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: tbird5

Reactions from NPR's listeners:

Mary Mapes: "It may be fake, but it certainly looks accurate."

Rosie O'Donnell: "It's a historical fact that both the painter and subject were gay lovers."

John Kerry: "That painting was given to me by a CIA agent in the summer of '68 while I was on a secret mission in Cambodia. I threw it over the museum fence in 1976."


13 posted on 05/18/2006 8:22:04 PM PDT by randog (What the...?!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: gotribe

I certainly am!


14 posted on 05/18/2006 8:44:26 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: stainlessbanner

Thanks.


15 posted on 05/18/2006 8:47:31 PM PDT by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done, needs to be done by the government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: tbird5

Was there ever an original or is this the story of a black wash?


16 posted on 05/18/2006 8:49:13 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tbird5

Fraud or not - - that painting will remain in government school textbooks forever, right next to the painting of the black, Asian, and Latino women firefighters raising the flag at Ground Zero and the missing pictures of the twelve men who walked on the moon.


17 posted on 05/18/2006 8:57:45 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SIDENET
Yeah, looks awful white to me as well.


18 posted on 05/18/2006 9:01:18 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: randog

Those are pretty good!


19 posted on 05/18/2006 9:06:26 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: tbird5

Jesse Jackson?


20 posted on 05/18/2006 9:07:47 PM PDT by Porterville (Do Not Betray The President During A Time Of War-- Unless You Are A Traitor)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-35 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson