Title

Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral, 1773. Creator: Unknown.

Caption

A first edition of the book "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral", by Phillis Wheatley, while she was enslaved to Mr. John Wheatley of Boston. Frontispiece features an oval portrait of Wheatley by Scipio Morehead, seated at a desk holding a quill pen. Along the top of the portrait are the words [PHILLIS WHEATLEY, NEGRO SERVANT TO MR. JOHN WHEATLEY OF BOSTON]. Poet Phillis Wheatley (c.1753-1784) was the first African-American author of a published book of poetry. Born in West Africa, she was sold into slavery as a child and transported to North America. The Wheatley family who bought her encouraged her poetry, and she was emancipated by them shortly after the publication of her book.

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art

Reference

HRM21A78_021

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

License type

Rights managed

Available size

125,2Mb (8,8Mb) / 25,1in x 19,3in / 7539 x 5804 (300dpi)

Keywords

female women ink on paper with leather and wood poems Scipio Moorhead Moorhead Scipio Archibald Bell woman people black job cap arts country writing book occupation museum pen headdress design location century profession first literature concept African American African-American B&W afro-american slavery headgear emancipation writer head-dress slave United States of America quill pen author graphic design poem poetry black & white black and white B W poet 18th century Eighteenth Century poems heritage American America USA first edition frontispiece mob cap portrait united states Unknown Bell Peters Wheatly cultural heritage Black History Archibald Heritage Art enslaved person National Museum of African American History and Culture NMAAHC Phillis Wheatley Wheatley Phillis Phillis Wheatley Peters Phyllis Wheatly Phyllis