Fine Art Poster
From £37
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
The Trial of John Brown - Horace Pippin
Regular price
£37.00 GBP
Sale price
£37.00 GBP
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
A powerful 1942 oil painting by Horace Pippin depicting the 1859 trial of abolitionist John Brown, rendered in the artist's signature folk art style.
Horace Pippin, a self-taught artist from Pennsylvania, produced this work in 1942. It depicts the 1859 trial of the abolitionist John Brown following his raid on Harpers Ferry. Pippin, who served in the 369th Infantry Regiment during the First World War, often returned to themes of American history and racial justice in his painting. His approach to the subject is direct and unadorned, prioritising the narrative weight of the scene over academic perspective.
The composition is arranged with a clear focus on the courtroom floor, where a figure lies prone, surrounded by a semi-circle of observers. The men in the background are rendered with a repetitive, rhythmic quality, their dark coats and bearded faces creating a sombre atmosphere. Pippin uses a restricted palette, relying on the contrast between the dark attire of the spectators and the lighter tones of the floorboards and the central figure. The spatial arrangement is flattened, which draws the viewer into the immediate tension of the courtroom rather than suggesting a deep, realistic space.
This painting is part of a series Pippin created regarding John Brown, a figure he held in high regard. The work reflects his ability to distil complex historical events into singular, powerful images. By focusing on the physical presence of the figures and the starkness of the setting, Pippin conveys the gravity of the legal proceedings. His work remains a significant example of twentieth-century American folk art, demonstrating a unique visual language that bypasses traditional training to communicate historical memory with clarity and force.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
The Trial of John Brown - Horace Pippin
Regular price
From £37.00 GBP
Sale price
From £37.00 GBP
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / Small Square (30x30 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Horace Pippin
Pippin enlisted in the army under a false name. On 15 July 1917, he joined the all-Black 15th New York National Guard Regiment (later the 369th Infantry, known as the Harlem Hellfighters) as "Harris Pippin". He served in France, kept a war journal illustrated with drawings, and was shot by a German sniper. The bullet partially paralysed his right arm. He was twenty-nine.
He was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1888; his grandparents had been enslaved. As a boy in Goshen, New York, he won a box of crayons in a competition sponsored by an art supplier. That was the extent of his formal art education. After the war, he settled back in West Chester and began painting in the early 1930s, using his left hand to prop up his injured right arm. He worked on canvas, fabric, and cigar boxes, and burned images into wood panels with a hot poker. He also tried bee sting therapy for his wound, trading fish pepper seeds to his Quaker friend H. Ralph Weaver in exchange for bees.
Pippin produced roughly 140 works over twenty years. His subjects ranged from war memories to biblical scenes, landscapes and domestic interiors. The style was self-taught and non-academic: flat, bold colour within firm outlines, with a structural clarity that recalls American folk art and Edward Hicks's peaceable kingdom paintings. In 1943, the collector Albert C. Barnes and curator Christian Brinton began championing his work, bringing it to major exhibitions in Philadelphia and New York.
He became the first Black artist to be the subject of a published monograph, Selden Rodman's Horace Pippin, A Negro Painter in America (1947). He died in West Chester in 1946, at fifty-eight. The New York Times called him the most important Black painter in American history.
He was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1888; his grandparents had been enslaved. As a boy in Goshen, New York, he won a box of crayons in a competition sponsored by an art supplier. That was the extent of his formal art education. After the war, he settled back in West Chester and began painting in the early 1930s, using his left hand to prop up his injured right arm. He worked on canvas, fabric, and cigar boxes, and burned images into wood panels with a hot poker. He also tried bee sting therapy for his wound, trading fish pepper seeds to his Quaker friend H. Ralph Weaver in exchange for bees.
Pippin produced roughly 140 works over twenty years. His subjects ranged from war memories to biblical scenes, landscapes and domestic interiors. The style was self-taught and non-academic: flat, bold colour within firm outlines, with a structural clarity that recalls American folk art and Edward Hicks's peaceable kingdom paintings. In 1943, the collector Albert C. Barnes and curator Christian Brinton began championing his work, bringing it to major exhibitions in Philadelphia and New York.
He became the first Black artist to be the subject of a published monograph, Selden Rodman's Horace Pippin, A Negro Painter in America (1947). He died in West Chester in 1946, at fifty-eight. The New York Times called him the most important Black painter in American history.
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Fine Art Framed
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The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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