Notes on Paintings

This is not a catalogue raisonné. This is a collection of my notes on works by Edward Bannister that are primarily mentioned in my Annotated Bibliography on Edward and Christiana Bannister. At present, there are well over 500 works by Bannister listed on this page. My notes include newspaper articles, books, periodicals, and catalogs that refer to a specific painting. Because many of Edward Bannister’s paintings were untitled and were given descriptive titles, there may be some duplication. All untitled works appear under untitled and are then arranged alphabetically by their descriptive names. No attempt has been made to establish provenance. 

The Frederick Douglass Museum of African Art was the original home to many of these paintings. The Frederick Douglass Museum of African Art opened in 1964 under the direction of Warren Robbins, a retired State Department official, and was the first museum of its kind in the United States. It was located in the Frederick Douglass House on Capitol Hill. The museum became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979 and was renamed the National Museum of African Art in 1981. In 1987, the museum moved to the National Mall. 

The information contained on this page is the result of my best effort using information available at the time. While every effort was made to keep the information current and correct, there are no representations or warranties, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information contained on this page for any purpose. If the reader does happen upon an error, I would be grateful if you sent me a note so I can make corrections.

I am especially grateful to art historian and Providence Art Club Archivist Nancy Whipple Grinnell for her incredible generosity in sharing her wealth of knowledge about Edward and Christiana Bannister. I am also extremely grateful to Edward Shein and Nick Bruno for their encyclopedic knowledge of Bannister's work.