Portrait of William Duguid

William Duguid, a Scottish immigrant textile importer based in Boston, is the subject of this engaging portrait. In 1773 he sat for artist Prince Demah Barnes, an enslaved African owned by merchant Henry Barnes. Impressed with his talent, Barnes took Prince to London in 1771, where he studied briefly with Robert Edge Pine. Prince’s story is extraordinary—he is the only known enslaved artist working in colonial America whose paintings have survived. To date, three portraits have been identified. When his Loyalist owners fled to England in 1775, Prince remained in Boston, and discarded his slave surname, identifying himself as "Prince Demah, limner" and a "free Negro." He enlisted in the Massachusetts militia in 1777 to fight against the British, but unfortunately died of an unknown illness the following year. (Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Notes from the contributor:
Friends of the American Wing Fund, 2010