Tara Fay Coleman is an artist, curator, and writer committed to fostering critical dialogue in the arts. Coleman is one of more than a dozen Pittsburgh community members who contributed guest labels for Kara Walker: Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War. Due to the limited amount of space within the galleries, Coleman's full text submission was not able to be printed — but we wanted to share the entirety of her reflections. Read on for her full thoughts on her chosen piece.
Kara Walker’s Scene of McPherson’s Death challenges us to confront the gaps in how history is told and remembered. Her cut-paper forms, layered over the sanitized illustrations from Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War, disrupt the conventional narrative, bringing forward the violent and traumatic experiences of Black Americans that are often excluded from historical accounts. While the original print memorializes the death of Union General James McPherson, Walker reframes the scene, exposing the suppressed realities that existed alongside these celebrated moments.
Walker’s signature use of silhouettes, a medium historically associated with genteel portraiture, becomes a tool for subversion within this work. By stripping her figures of detail and individuality, she forces us to confront the universality of racial violence and the dehumanization that exists at the core of America’s history. The anonymity of these shadowy forms speaks to the countless Black lives erased from the historical record, while their presence interrupts traditional Civil War imagery. This stark contrast between the polished aesthetic of 19th-century printmaking and the brutal truths imposed by Walker’s figures compels us to reckon with what has been deliberately left out of the stories we inherit.
Kara Walker, Scene of McPherson's Death. From Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated), 2005. Offset lithography and silkscreen. Sheet: 39 × 53 in. (99.1 × 134.6 cm). Edition of 35. Courtesy of the New Britain Museum of American Art, 2019.4.8 © Kara Walker
This work mirrors the experience of navigating cultural spaces where the realities of Black life are frequently dismissed or deliberately obscured. Walker’s intervention prompts reflection not only on the erasures of the past, but also on how these voids continue to shape contemporary narratives. Her work resonates deeply with a city like Pittsburgh, where the histories of Black neighborhoods, particularly the Hill District, have been fragmented by systemic racism, urban renewal, and gentrification. Just as Walker’s figures reclaim visual space in these historical prints, Pittsburgh’s Black artists, historians, and activists continue to recover and preserve narratives that have been sidelined, celebrating the persistence and contributions that define the city’s heritage.
In today’s political climate, where debates over history, education, and representation are more charged than ever, this work feels especially urgent. The growing efforts to censor discussions of systemic racism and whitewash the realities of America’s past echo the very omissions Walker confronts in her art. As legislation seeks to limit how history is taught in classrooms and public discourse, Scene of McPherson’s Death serves as a vital reminder of the power of art to challenge these distortions and hold space for uncomfortable truths. Walker’s work not only forces us to grapple with the past, but compels us to recognize how historical erasure continues to influence present-day struggles for justice and equity.
By imposing these silhouetted forms onto familiar historical imagery, Walker highlights the fragmented nature of the stories passed down through generations, and the urgency of reclaiming space for marginalized voices. These faceless figures exist to reveal uncomfortable truths about the Civil War and its aftermath, dismantling the persistent myths that shape American memory. Scene of McPherson’s Death represents art’s ability to unveil what history tries to conceal, and the responsibility we all share in bringing those hidden narratives to light. Restoring these untold stories is essential, both in creative expression, and in our understanding of the world.