Francis Williams (poet)

A portrait of Williams held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The portrait was most likely made by William Williams c. 1760.[1]

Francis Williams (c. 1690 – c. 1770) was a Jamaican polymath, scholar, astronomer and poet who was one of the most notable free black people in Jamaica. Born in Kingston, Jamaica into a slaveholding family, Williams subsequently travelled to England where he officially became a British subject. After returning to Jamaica, he established a free school for free people of colour in Jamaica. His portrait is considered to the earliest known example in the canon of western art to have been commissioned by a known Black person to record their own intellectual achievements.[2]

  1. ^ https://news.artnet.com/art-world/francis-williams-painting-findings-dabhoiwala-2557949
  2. ^ Ferguson, Donna (16 October 2024). "X-ray evidence of Black maths scholar portrait reveals snubbed genius". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 October 2024.