Roseland, Harry

Harry Herman Roseland, a native of Brooklyn, NY (circa 1867–1950), was an American painter renowned for his genre works in the early 20th century. Despite being white, he focused mainly on portraying impoverished African Americans. Roseland, largely self-taught, received guidance from John Bernard Whittaker and James Carroll Beckwith. His popular subjects included black female fortune tellers reading palms and tea leaves for white clients. His diverse repertoire extended to seascapes, portraits, and depictions of laborers in coastal regions of New England and New York, as well as interior scenes. His paintings were widely reproduced in various formats, including postcards and newspaper supplements.