VISUAL ACTIVITY

A German Immigrant in New York This 1855 painting depicts a German immigrant in New York City asking directions from an African American man cutting firewood. Like many other German immigrants, the man shown here appears relatively well off. Unlike most Irish immigrants, who arrived without family members, the German immigrant is accompanied by his daughter and son.

READING THE IMAGE: How does the clothing of the German immigrant compare to that of the black man cutting wood and the white laborer on the right? What racial attitudes are illustrated by the painting?

CONNECTIONS: How did mid-nineteenth-century immigrants compare to native-born Americans?

North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, purchased with funds from the State of North Carolina (52.9.2).