On this day, the 1900 Paris Exposition (Exposition Universelle) officially closed. Among the 6,916 American exhibitors was Henry Ossawa Tanner, a trailblazing African American painter. Tanner was awarded a silver medal for his artistic contributions — a significant international recognition of his talent during an era of profound racial discrimination in the United States.
Tanner, known for works like The Banjo Lesson and The Thankful Poor, spent much of his career in France, where he found greater artistic acceptance and freedom than in the U.S.
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