The Highwaymen: Florida's Finest Vernacular Artists

Historian Bob Beatty tells the story of The Highwaymen in this presentation. The name refers to a cadre of 26 Black artists who painted Florida landscapes and made a living selling them, door-to-door, to businesses and individuals throughout the state from the mid-1950s through the 1980s. These artists thrived from the mid-1950s-1980s as artists/entrepreneurs. They honed techniques to rapidly produce their paintings and developed strategies to market and sell their artwork outside the formal world of art galleries and exhibitions. Their story is one of African Americans who carved out unique economic opportunities despite the social and economic conditions of the Jim Crow South.