Thomas Williams, a Black Sailor,

Sketch by John Downman,Liverpool 1815

Sketch of Thomas Williams, a Black Sailor, by London portraitist John Downman (1750–1824). The sketch, in the collection of the Tate Museum, was drawn in Liverpool in 1815.

According to the Tate, Thomas Williams had a connection with MP William Wilberforce who played a vital part in the passing of the 1807 Act which made slave trading illegal in the UK. It is unknown if Thomas Williams ever sailed to Brooklyn, NY, but his image is here to stand in for the many Black sailors who did.

Sources:

  • "Thomas Williams, a Black Sailor," by John Downman, 1815. In the collection of the Tate museum, Reference number T10168.   

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