Abraham Johnson

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Abraham Johnson

Watercolour painting by Abraham Johnson by John Sowden, 1888.

Born in Zanzibar and a former enslaved person who worked his passage to England on board ships, Abraham worked in Bradford selling broadsheet songs and stories in the streets to support his wife and child. An Abraham Johnson was listed as a member of crew on a ship from Indian Ocean to Liverpool and travelling between 1868 and 1881 - reference an Abraham Johnson of Zanzibar rescued from shipwreck. He was painted by John Sowden on 12 June 1888, and was believed to be 40 years old at the time.

Year

1888

Image filename

BH.54.1921.228.i2