First known portrait commissioned by an American born into slavery on display in Baltimore

June 25 2024

Image of First known portrait commissioned by an American born into slavery on display in Baltimore

Picture: The Washington Post

Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:

The Washington Post have reported on news that the first known portrait commissioned by an American born into slavery will be going on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art this week. The painting, attributed to the artist James Alexander Simpson, is believed to depict Mary Ann Tritt Cassell, a woman of mixed race whose mother was enslaved on Stratford Hall plantation in Westmoreland County, Va. The article explains the research which has gone into uncovering the life of the sitter and her family.

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