The subject of this copper graphics engraving print plate is Rev. Patrick Francis Healy (1834 -1910). He was the first Jesuit priest of African American descent. He was also the first, as such, to head a major white university, although his birth as the son of an enslaved parent was not widely known or acknowledged during his lifetime. As one of the early presidents of Georgetown University in Washington D.C. (1874 - 1883 ), he shepherded the transition of the small Jesuit college through a critical period of growth and expansion to university status..
The provenance of this Healy print plate is based on access to a collection of print artifacts which were used in the operation of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s now-dissolved Associated Publishers organization. Several types of metal engraving plates, including copper and zinc, were used to document Black life and history in the numerous historical manuscripts, research studies, journals, and in the educational materials promoting what we now know as Black History Month. The Association published over 700 full-length books, including the pioneering works of Carter G. Woodson.
There were perhaps several hundred different photo or graphics engraving plates
produced by this publisher. Woodson's reproductions of print plate images were
not limited to portraits of political activists, civic leaders, and
cultural pioneers such as Patrick Francis Healy. Many of these published images
also documented historical events, local and national cultural developments, and the work of Black institutions.
Generally,
these Associated Publishers' print artifacts today can be found only in
select universities, museums or in large archival repositories around the
country. However, the most common public evidence of the existence of these
artifacts is now largely limited to book illustrations or electronic images
that have been produced from these artifacts, making this a rare
public artifact.