Prince Demah
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Prince Demah (March 1778) was an American painter of African ancestry who was formerly enslaved and active in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
in the late 1700s. According to The
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, Demah is "the only known enslaved artist working in
colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen British Colonies and creation of the United States in 1776, during the Re ...
whose paintings have survived."


Life and career

Demah's mother was an enslaved woman named Daphney. Both he and his mother were baptized at Trinity Church, Boston, in 1745. Demah's purchase by Henry Barnes, a Boston merchant, was recorded in November 1769. Barnes stated that he purchased Demah with the intention of "improving his genius in painting". In October 1770, Barnes took Demah with him on a trip to London. In February of the following year, Barnes recorded that Demah received 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 Robert Edge Pine (1730, London – November 18, 1788, Philadelphia) was an English people, English portrait and historical painter, born in London. He was the son of John Pine, the engraver and designer. Career He painted portraits, including of G ...
, who was working in London at the time and later settled in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. 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 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
in New York City. The artist signed Duguid's portrait "Prince Demah Barnes" and dated it 1773. The portraits of his owners Henry and Christian Barnes of
Marlborough, Massachusetts Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,793 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high ...
, which were given to the Hingham Historical Society by Susan Barker Willard, although unsigned, are also thought to be by Demah. The Barneses were
loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
and fled to England in 1775 after a series of threatening incidents, including the tarring and feathering of Henry Barnes's horse. Demah remained in Boston. In April 1777, at the outbreak of the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, Demah enlisted in the Massachusetts
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
as a free man. The enlistment records show he identified himself as only "Prince Demah", discarding his former enslaver's name. Demah died of an unknown illness, likely
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
, the following year. On March 11, 1778, he wrote his will, which he signed as "Prince Demah of Boston...a
limner A limner is an illuminator of manuscripts, or more generally, a painter of ornamental decoration. A mention of medieval limners' work appears in the book ''Methods and Materials of Painting'' by Charles Lock Eastlake (1793–1865). United Ki ...
" 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.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demah, Prince 18th-century American slaves 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists African-American painters Painters from Boston 1770s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain People from colonial Massachusetts