The most popular image of Jesus Christ in the world—a white man with blue eyes, wavy brown hair, and a soft, peaceful gaze—comes from Head of Christ, a 1940 painting by Chicago artist Warner Sallman. It’s been reproduced over a billion times, shaping how millions imagine Jesus.
But its dominance also cemented a white Jesus in the cultural imagination. Scholars point out that the historical Jesus, a Middle Eastern Jew, likely had darker skin. Yet Head of Christ reinforced whiteness as central to Christian identity in America. As historian David Morgan puts it, “It gave white Americans a Jesus that was theirs.”
White Jesus predates the '40s by quite a long way. European Christians have been depicting him that way for centuries. I’m pretty sure Americans had a white Jesus before then as well.
Sadly, it’s hard to find accurate depictions of Jesus in the western world.
99% invisible just released a podcast on this subject ☞ https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/615-your-own-personal-jesus/
This was a great episode and I’m happy to see you posted it, since I was also like, “I just learned about this!!”
i remember this portrait from some time ago
it sounded like a reasonable reconstruction: https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a41336100/real-jesus-face/
“Skin of bronze and hair of Sheep’s wool”
Ah fuck I need to go listen to more Depeche Mode
Pick up the receiver, I’ll make you a believer.
White Jesus predates the '40s by quite a long way. European Christians have been depicting him that way for centuries. I’m pretty sure Americans had a white Jesus before then as well.
Sadly, it’s hard to find accurate depictions of Jesus in the western world.
“Racists prefer to think of themselves as special.”