Prince Demah

Prince Demah (c. 1745—March 1778) was an American painter of African ancestry who was formerly enslaved and active in Boston in the late 1700s. According to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Demah is "the only known enslaved artist working in colonial America whose paintings have survived."

Prince Demah
Bornc. 1745
Died1778
NationalityAmerican
EducationRobert Edge Pine
Known forpainting
Notable work
Portrait of William Duguid, Portrait of Henry Barnes, Portrait of Christian Barnes
Portrait of William Duguid

Early life and career

Demah's mother was an enslaved woman named Daphney. Both he and his mother were baptised at Trinity Church, Boston in 1745.[1]

Demah's purchase by Henry Barnes was recorded in November 1769. Barnes stated that he purchased Demah with the intention of "improving his genius in painting."[1] In October 1770 Barnes took Demah with him on a trip to London. In February the following year Barnes recorded that Demah was receiving lessons from "Mr. Pine who has taken him purely for his genius." It is thought that this was the British portrait painter Robert Edge Pine, who was working in London at the time and later settled in Philadelphia.

There are three known surviving portraits by Demah. His portrait of William Duguid, a Scottish immigrant textile merchant based in Boston, is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[2] The artist signed Duguid's portrait "Prince Demah Barnes" and dated it 1773.[3] The portraits of his owners Henry and Christian Barnes of Marlborough, Massachusetts, which were given to the Hingham Historical Society by Susan Barker Willard, although unsigned, are also thought to be by Demah.[3]

The Barneses were loyalists and fled to England in 1775 after a series of threatening incidents, including the tarring and feathering of Henry Barnes's horse.[1] Demah remained in Boston. In April 1777, at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, Demah enlisted in the Massachusetts militia as a free man. The enlistment records show he identified himself as only "Prince Demah," discarding the name of his former owner.

Demah died of an unknown illness, likely smallpox, the following year.[4][5] On March 11, 1778 he wrote his will, which he signed as "Prince Demah of Boston...a limner" and a "free Negro." Demah bequeathed his estate to his "Loving Mother Daphne Demah." His burial was recorded a week later at Trinity Church, Boston.[3]

References
  1. "Prince Demah, Portrait Painter". Out of the Archives: Exploring the Archives of the Hingham Heritage Museum. Hingham Historical Society. January 10, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  2. "Prince Demah Barnes | Portrait of William Duguid | The Met". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  3. "Prince Demah Barnes: Portraitist and slave in colonial Boston - The Magazine Antiques". The Magazine Antiques. 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  4. "Portrait of William Duguid". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1773. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  5. "A Portrait". The Memory Palace. Nate DiMeo. February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.


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