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Haiti to Harlem: Toussaint L'Ouverture & Jacob Lawrence Main Menu Jacob Lawrence: The Storyteller Paintings to Prints The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture in Print Contextualizing The Prints Curating the Exhibition Imprints and Impact Highlights the impact of the Jacob Lawrence prints in relation to both Lawrence's life and the history of global POC liberation. About the Curators Meet the Fall 2024 Curatorial Class! Select Bibliography

General Toussaint L'Ouverture

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Left: General Toussaint L'Ouverture, Statesman and military genius, esteemed by the Spaniards, feared by the English, dreaded by the French, hated by the planters, and reverenced by the Blacks (1937) / Right: General Toussaint L'Ouverture (1986)

Throughout the series, Lawrence depicts L'Ouverture in action, highlighting the key aspects of his life and his role in the Haitian Revolution. For this reason, the portrait of L'Ouverture stands out from the rest of the works. When creating the original painting series in the 1930s, Lawrence was immersed in the Harlem Renaissance, which focused on reclaiming Black figures and history. Lawrence's portrait of L'Ouverture plays a crucial role in this reclamation movement. This portrait directly references a 19th-century French lithograph, known for its exaggerated, caricature-like features. Lawrence reworks it to exalt L'Ouverture’s prowess and leadership while simultaneously acknowledging the multifaceted nature of his legacy. Lawrence’s portrait of L'Ouverture is part of a broader movement to reclaim and uplift Black historical narratives, emphasizing the importance of figures like L'Ouverture in the fight against colonialism. 

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