Artist Prince Demah, North America’s first identifiable enslaved portrait painter, lived an extraordinary life in revolutionary times. This talk by author Zara Anishanslin traces his life, art, and patriotism. From his beginnings as the enslaved son of a woman from Africa in Massachusetts through the unusual training he received in London from award-winning British painter Robert Edge Pine, from his Boston painting career near Phillis Wheatley’s home to his self-emancipation and military service for the American patriot cause, Prince Demah’s life is a remarkable story of his fight for creative and personal freedom. His inspiring story reminds us how artists shaped the Revolution on both sides of the Atlantic and testifies to both the promise and the limits of liberty in the founding era.
The Trent House Association, in partnership with the
Trenton Historical Society, presents this talk on the life of Black American artist, Prince Demah, on Saturday, February 7, 2026.
Author Zara Anishanslin is Associate Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware. She is the author of the award-winning Portrait of a Woman in Silk: Hidden Histories of the British Atlantic World and has served as a historical consultant for the Philadelphia Art Museum as well as “Hamilton: The Exhibition.”
Light refreshments will be served. Parking is available on Barrack and Lafayette Streets and in the parking lots to the west of the War Memorial. The Historic Trenton Masonic Temple is wheelchair accessible with a ramp at the main entrance and elevators.
Registration is required with $15 admission at https://tinyurl.com/PrinceDemah.