David Bustill Bowser

Life & Legacy

David Bustill Bowser (January 16, 1820, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 30, 1900, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a 19th-century African-American ornamental artist, portraitist, and social activist. He designed battle flags for eleven African-American regiments during the American Civil War and painted portraits of prominent Americans, including U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist John Brown. Politically active throughout much of his adult life, he was a contributor to the Underground Railroad and also helped to secure the post-war passage of key civil rights legislation in Pennsylvania.
As a major figure in the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, he designed broadsides and regalia for the organization.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has described Bowser as an artist whose "works were the first widely viewed, positive images of African Americans painted by an African American".