Go Down Moses c Kristin Helberg 2012 24”x 24”

Go Down Moses , was one of two paintings that I created for possible inclusion in a show at the Reginald Lewis Museum In Baltimore, that honored Harriet Tubman in 2012. The second painting, which was a scene entitled Underground Railroad, was acquired by the museum for their permanent collection.

Before beginning the portrait, I read quite a bit about Harriet Tubman and I was struck by a remark that she made about her gun. She said that she carried it not only to protect herself from bounty hunters, but any slave that accompanied her to freedom was warned that if they decided to turn back, she would have to shoot them.

This was a woman of great resolve, a woman who saw the bigger picture and understood that any slave that would turn back, could be tortured into disclosing all her escape routes.

An astounding woman in American history.