Accession number(s): 76.33.1
Object: Drawing of Harrison Henry (facsimile)
Material: Charcoal on paper
Date: 1896
Country: United States
Maker: Elizabeth Watkins Henry Lyons (1855-1920)
Style: Realism
Provenance: Stanhope S. Johnson (1882-1973) to Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation
Description: This charcoal drawings depicts Harrison Henry, a man formerly enslaved by three generations of the Henry family.
Harrison was born at Red Hill circa 1798 to his mother Critty, believed to be the enslaved cook to Patrick Henry. Later trained as a coachman, Harrison worked at Red Hill caring for riding horses and repairing carriages until emancipation in 1865. He continued to live at Red Hill with his wife Milly until his death in 1906 or 1907.
Elizabeth Henry Lyons, a great-granddaughter of Patrick Henry, drew this likeness of Harrison in 1896. This facsimile was donated to the Foundation by architect Stanhope S. Johnson. The original drawing is still in the possession of the Henry family.
