HSPV 7010: Henry Ossawa Tanner House Studio

Students in Professor Randall Mason’s studio created future iterations for the currently vacant and derelict Henry Ossawa Tanner House, located at 2908 West Diamond Street in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of Philadelphia. The rowhome at 2908 West Diamond Street is significant as the childhood home of Henry Tanner, and as a connection to Philadelphia’s population of upper class African American families. Henry Tanner was one of the first African American painters to gain national and international acclaim for his religious and racial scenes. He may have been inspired to pursue art after a walk in nearby Fairmount Park, where he saw a plein air painter in the hills of the scenic park adjacent to Strawberry Mansion. He was the first African American student admitted at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, but quickly dropped out due to racism from other students. He worked around the United States, before fleeing for Paris and seeking out a more racially accepting art-making environment.