Henry Ossawa Tanner was one of the true greats. Though slight and spare of body, he never spared himself in a life of devotion to high art. This volume takes the reader through Tanner's life and career, showing his many struggles and sacrifices. Wherever possible, Tanner's own words are employed to describe people and places, ranging from the famous to the obscure. What emerges is a story of gritty determination, a resolve that never quit. Even today, a century after Tanner's death, he remains one of the greatest of African American painters, a person others try to emulate.