Frontis-piece of Ignatius Sancho

This frontis-piece is after a portrait of Ignatius Sancho that was painted by his friend, the famous artist Thomas Gainsborough, in Bath in 1768. Ignatius Sancho was the first African writer to publish in England. He had a reputation as a composer, writer and businessman. He was an important part of the early anti-slavery campaign, proving, as he claimed, that 'An untutored African may possess abilities equal to a European'.

Credit/copyright:   © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Michael Graham-Stewart Slavery Collection. Acquired with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund

Themes
The Campaign for Abolition