Henry Ossawa Tanner

The son of an African Methodist Episcopal bishop, Tanner studied with Thomas Eakins in Philadelphia before acquiring advanced training in Paris. He established an international reputation in 1897 when one of his biblical scenes was awarded a medal at the 1897 Paris Salon and was purchased by the French government. Later that year, Tanner traveled to Palestine to assure the accuracy of his historical narratives through firsthand observation of landscape, costume, and customs. In this study for a larger composition, devout Jews gather at the Western Wall, a remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem and the holiest place of prayer in the Jewish world.