Artist/Maker
Unidentified artist
Depicted
Peter Williams
(American, 1750 – 1823)
Peter Williams (1750–1823)
ca. 1810-1815
Oil on canvas
Overall: 25 x 20 1/4 in. ( 63.5 x 51.4 cm )
Framed: 30 1/4 × 25 1/8 × 1 7/8 in. (76.8 × 63.8 × 4.8 cm)
Framed: 30 1/4 × 25 1/8 × 1 7/8 in. (76.8 × 63.8 × 4.8 cm)
New-York Historical Society
X.173
Williams, who was born a slave in New York, was an ardent Methodist and served as sexton of the John Street Methodist Church. He and his wife, née Mary Durham (1748–1821), were given their freedom in 1796 by the Methodist Society, and Williams subsequently operated a successful tobacconist shop on Liberty Street. He supported the establishment of the Zion Church for Negroes in 1801 and was one of the original trustees.
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Collections
- Underground Railroad
