Untitled (Portrait of Dr. James Scott)

Oil on canvas portrait of Dr. James Scott. Scott is shown smiling with short black hair, a mustache, and a mouche or small beard. He wears circular eyeglasses and a black tuxedo with a white vest, shirt, and bowtie. His left hand holds a decorative paper, possibly a certificate, with text at the top that reads: "MAYOR OF BRONZEVILLE/DR. JAS. SCOTT." The background features a short bookcase, a four-tier glass case, and a nude classical sculpture holding a caduceus staff atop the bookcase. At the painting’s upper left edge, the corner of a framed document with a gold seal hanging on the wall is visible. The “Mayor of Bronzeville” was an unofficial position elected by Chicago’s African American community in the Bronzeville neighborhood beginning in the 1930s. Dr. Scott served as “Mayor” from 1944 to 1945. Born in Mississippi, Scott came to Chicago in 1922 at the age of 27 and attended Chicago Medical College. He began practicing medicine on the South Side in 1929 and later also became an ordained clergyman.