Moses Williams

Moses Williams (c. 1777 – c. 1830) was a formerly enslaved African American visual artist who made tens of thousands of silhouettes for visitors to Peale's Philadelphia Museum. He was associated with Philadelphia-based artist Charles Willson Peale.

Early life, slavery, and education Moses Williams was born into slavery circa 1777 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to enslaved parents Scarborough and Lucy Peale. While living in Annapolis, Maryland, sometime between 1769 and 1775, renowned artist Charles Willson Peale had acquired Williams's parents. As a slave, he was not taught the "higher art" of painting. He earned 6 to 8 cents for every silhouette he cut. He also created silhouettes of the Peale family, including Charles Willson Peale and his wife, Elizabeth. Williams' silhouettes were stamped simply "Museum," so his legacy received scant scholarly attention until the 1990s.

With the money he earned making silhouettes, Williams purchased his freedom one year in advance of his 28th birthday and purchased a two-story brick house on 10 Sterling Alley in Philadelphia, becoming one of the few African Americans to own property in Philadelphia. He also married Maria (surname unknown), a white woman who had worked as Peale's cook. He had at least four children. There is no scholarly consensus on his exact date of death, with estimates ranging from 1825 to 1833, though the probability lies with the latter date.

Public institutions Williams' silhouettes can be found in the collections of several institutions, including the following:

Philadelphia Museum of Art Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Library Company of Philadelphia