Despite his early commissions, Bannister still struggled to receive wider recognition for his work due to racism in the US. Following emancipation and the end of the US Civil War, the abolitionists began to disperse and, with them, their patronage. Due to increasing competition, Bannister did little to support Nelson A. Primus, who had come to him seeking an apprenticeship. An 1867 article in the "New York Herald" belittled both Bannister and his work, stating, "the negro has an appreciation for art while being manifestly unable to produce it". The article reportedly spurred his desire to achieve success as an artist. At the same time, Bannister had begun to receive more recognition within white art circles in Boston.