A Pastoral Visit

In the 19th century, families often welcomed clergy into their homes, particularly when churches could not afford to offer housing.

Here, Richard Norris Brooke depicts a traditional pastoral visit. The pastor is served dinner first and later receives cloth-wrapped fruit and a cigar box holding the congregation’s weekly contribution.The banjo, an instrument with roots in African culture, suggests that the group enjoyed music after the meal.

Brooke, a white artist painting during the Jim Crow era of segregation and anti-Black racism, did not stereotype or caricature his subjects. He presents a realistic view of this family modeled by his neighbors in Warrenton, Virginia.

Brooke also maintained a studio in Washington, DC, where he taught at the Corcoran School of Art.