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The Highwaymen 26 Black Artists Who Sold 200,000 Paintings From Their Car Trunks

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The Highwaymen: 26 Black Artists Who Sold 200,000 Paintings From Their Car Trunks — the incredible true story of Florida's forgotten art movement.

Two hundred thousand paintings. Twenty-six artists. Twenty-five dollars each. The Florida Highwaymen were banned from galleries during Jim Crow, so they built an empire selling original oil paintings from their car trunks along the Florida coast. Today, their work hangs in the Smithsonian and sells for over $50,000.

In this video, you'll discover:
- How the Florida Highwaymen created an art movement during segregation
- The tragic story of founder Alfred Hair, who lost his life at just 29
- Mary Ann Carroll — the only woman among the 26 Black artists who defied all odds
- How paintings that sold for $25 are now worth thousands in collections worldwide

???? Visual Note: This documentary uses AI-generated imagery to visualize historical scenes from 1950s-1980s Florida. All facts are verified through the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Florida Department of State, and scholarly sources including Gary Monroe's published research.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction: 200,000 paintings from car trunks
1:00 - Jim Crow Florida: Limited options for Black artists
2:45 - Origins: A.E. Backus, Alfred Hair, and Harold Newton
5:00 - The business model that changed everything
7:00 - Mary Ann Carroll: The First Lady of the Highwaymen
9:00 - The golden era of Florida Highwaymen art
11:00 - Tragedy: The loss of Alfred Hair
13:00 - Decline and the forgotten years
15:00 - Rediscovery: How Jim Fitch found them
17:00 - Triumph: Hall of Fame and the Smithsonian
18:30 - Legacy and lessons

SOURCES & Further Reading:
- Smithsonian NMAAHC - Florida Highwaymen Collection: nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/florida-highwaymen
- Florida Department of State - Artists Hall of Fame: dos.fl.gov/cultural/programs/florida-artists-hall-of-fame/
- Gary Monroe, "The Highwaymen: Florida's African-American Landscape Painters" (University Press of Florida, 2001)
- Museum of Florida History - Highwaymen Collection: museumoffloridahistory.com
- A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery, Fort Pierce, Florida

Have you ever seen a Florida Highwaymen painting in person? These African American artists created some of the most vibrant landscape art in American history. Drop your story in the comments — I'd love to hear about it!

#FloridaHighwaymen #BlackArtists #AfricanAmericanHistory #FloridaHistory #ForgottenHistory #AmericanArt #CivilRightsHistory
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Highway Men
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