The name Moses Williams may not be familiar to many, but it likely will soon as the late Philadelphia artist will be getting a new historical marker in 2026, writes Isaac Avilucea for AXIOS Philadelphia.
Born in slavery in the 1770s, Williams later became one of the greatest silhouette artists in the nation.
In the early 19th century, Williams created thousands of paper-cut silhouette profiles of famed painter Charles Willson Peale for museum visitors.
Those profile silhouettes became quite popular for Americans who could not afford to sit for portraits.
Williams’ new historical marker will be one of more than a dozen in the Philadelphia area, 45 that will be added across Pennsylvania as part of the city’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
While the location for Williams’ historical marker has not yet been determined, Faye Anderson, who led the effort, has proposed having it placed near Philosophical Hall. This location is near the former site of Peale’s museum.
Anderson hopes this new historical marker will help bring more awareness to the role Williams has in Black history, which she said “cannot be erased” and remains vibrantly alive in “the archives.”
Read more about Moses Williams and his work in Philadelphia as his legacy gets memorialized at AXIOS Philadelphia.
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