Self-Portrait
Jones at thirty-four, brushes in hand at the easel — painted in 1940, two years after her Paris breakthrough. Now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
- 1940
- Casein on board
About Loïs Mailou Jones
The painter states her case
Jones shows herself at work: smock on, brushes in hand, eyes level with the viewer. Behind her stand African sculptures — the sources she had claimed in Paris two years earlier set squarely inside the studio of an American professional.
She painted it in 1940 in casein, between the Paris year that produced Les Fétiches and the long Washington decades at Howard University. As a statement of identity — Black, female, trained, working — it has few rivals in American self-portraiture of its date, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum now holds it.
Frequently asked questions
When did Loïs Mailou Jones paint her Self-Portrait?
In 1940, at thirty-four, two years after her Académie Julian year in Paris and a decade into her teaching career at Howard University.
What does the Self-Portrait show?
Jones at her easel in a red smock, brushes in hand, meeting the viewer's eye, with African sculptures on the shelf behind her — her sources placed inside her own studio.
What medium is the Self-Portrait?
Casein on board — a fast-drying, matte medium she used with the directness of the poster and textile design she had mastered first.
Where is the Self-Portrait now?
In the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.
Why does the Self-Portrait matter?
Because of everything it asserts at once, in 1940: a Black woman presenting herself as a working professional painter, with African art behind her as inheritance rather than exotic prop.
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References
The sources below include collection records, catalogues, scholarly research, and primary materials that informed this page. They document Self-Portrait, its making, and its place in cultural history.
1Loïs Mailou Jones, Self-Portrait — collection entry
WebsiteSmithsonian American Art MuseumUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Self-Portrait page.
2Loïs Mailou Jones — artist page
WebsiteSmithsonian American Art MuseumUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Self-Portrait page.
3Loïs Mailou Jones — artist profile
WebsiteNational Museum of Women in the ArtsUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Self-Portrait page.
4Lois Mailou Jones — artist page
WebsiteThe Studio Museum in HarlemUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Self-Portrait page.
These references provide the documented foundation for this work's history and interpretation. Claim-level citations remain attached to the specific claims they support.
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