Drawing after a detail of a photo of U.S. Senator George Vickers of Maryland, taken by the studio of Brady & Handy, ca 1860-1875, with stylized texts from Vickers’ Senate debate against the passing of the 15th Amendment, with Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts in 1869

Canvas: Soft pastel, charcoal & charcoal pencil on raw canvas, under clear leveling gel
Frame: Walnut and cedar woods with stained pine wood & pine moulding, with vintage paper.
41 x 37 in | 2020

Senator George Vickers was a Kent County native and graduate of Washington College who lived and died in Chestertown. Although a Unionist during the Civil War, after the war Vickers was an overt white supremacist who did his best to prevent equal rights for African Americans. As a United States Senator his vote was the last vote cast to acquit president Andrew Johnson, after his impeachment by the House of Representatives.

This piece’s text is formatted after late 19th century book advertisements, the title and introduction are imagined period text by the artist. The rest of the text, starting with “No legislation of Congress can…” are directly quoted from Senator Vickers arguments against the passing of the 15th Amendment (which gave African American men the legal right to vote) from the Senate floor, February 1869.