Patrick H. Reason
Encyclopedia
Patrick Henry Reason, first named Patrice Rison (1816 – 1898), was one of the earliest African-American engravers in the United States. He was active as abolitionist (along with his brother Charles Lewis Reason). He was a leader in a fraternal order, gaining recognition for Hamilton Lodge No. 710, New York, as part of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows.
, one of three sons of Michel Rison of St. Anne Island, Guadeloupe
, and Elizabeth Melville of Saint-Domingue
, free people of color
who immigrated as refugees in 1793 after the early years of the Haitian Revolution
. He was baptized Patrice Rison in April 1816. His sister Policarpe died in 1818 at age four. With his two brothers Elver and Charles, Patrick attended New York's African Free School
. At age 13, he had his drawing of the school building engraved for the frontispiece of the published 1830 history of the school. He was apprenticed to Stephen Henry Gimber, a white engraver and lithographer in the city.
His best-known engravings include an 1835 version of the kneeling slave woman used as an emblem of abolition; an 1840 portrait of Ohio Senator Benjamin Tappan
; and the frontispiece portrait for Henry Bibb
's 1849 autobiography. Reason was a member of the American Anti-Slavery Society
and which sponsored him to study engraving in London.
As a member of the New York Philomathean Society, Reason and others argued for inclusion in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
, a fraternal organization. They won recognition from the British-based organization as Hamilton Lodge No. 710, New York, as part of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows. Reason designed the membership certificate, at one point served as the lodge's grand master, and in 1858 composed the Ruth degree, the first to be conferred upon female members.
After he moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio in 1869, Reason was invited to join several engraving firms. He joined the firm of Sylvester Hogan, where he did jewelry and plate engraving until his death in 1898.
.
Early life and education
Reason was born in 1816 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, one of three sons of Michel Rison of St. Anne Island, Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
, and Elizabeth Melville of Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
, free people of color
Free people of color
A free person of color in the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, is a person of full or partial African descent who was not enslaved...
who immigrated as refugees in 1793 after the early years of the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
. He was baptized Patrice Rison in April 1816. His sister Policarpe died in 1818 at age four. With his two brothers Elver and Charles, Patrick attended New York's African Free School
African Free School
The African Free School was an institution founded by the New York Manumission Society on November 2, 1787. It was founded to provide education to children of slaves and freemen.-History:...
. At age 13, he had his drawing of the school building engraved for the frontispiece of the published 1830 history of the school. He was apprenticed to Stephen Henry Gimber, a white engraver and lithographer in the city.
Career
Reason set up his own shop, where he engraved portraits and other images for political and non-political books and journals, as well as for individuals.His best-known engravings include an 1835 version of the kneeling slave woman used as an emblem of abolition; an 1840 portrait of Ohio Senator Benjamin Tappan
Benjamin Tappan
Benjamin Tappan was an Ohio judge and Democratic politician who served in the Ohio State Senate and the United States Senate...
; and the frontispiece portrait for Henry Bibb
Henry Bibb
Henry Walton Bibb was an author and abolitionist who was born a slave. After escaping from slavery to Canada, he returned to the US and lectured against slavery. Migrating to Canada, he founded a newspaper Voice of the Fugitive.-Biography:...
's 1849 autobiography. Reason was a member of the American Anti-Slavery Society
American Anti-Slavery Society
The American Anti-Slavery Society was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Frederick Douglass was a key leader of this society and often spoke at its meetings. William Wells Brown was another freed slave who often spoke at meetings. By 1838, the society had...
and which sponsored him to study engraving in London.
As a member of the New York Philomathean Society, Reason and others argued for inclusion in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
Independent Order of Odd Fellows
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows , also known as the Three Link Fraternity, is an altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization derived from the similar British Oddfellows service organizations which came into being during the 18th century, at a time when altruistic and charitable acts were...
, a fraternal organization. They won recognition from the British-based organization as Hamilton Lodge No. 710, New York, as part of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows. Reason designed the membership certificate, at one point served as the lodge's grand master, and in 1858 composed the Ruth degree, the first to be conferred upon female members.
After he moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio in 1869, Reason was invited to join several engraving firms. He joined the firm of Sylvester Hogan, where he did jewelry and plate engraving until his death in 1898.
Marriage and family
In 1862, Reason married Esther Cunningham of Leeds, England. Their son, Charles L. Reason (named after his brother), was born in 1867. In 1869, the family moved to Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
Further reading
- Porter, Dorothy B., "Patrick H. Reason", Dictionary of American Negro Biography, edited by Rayford W. Logan and Michael R. Winston, 1982.