A Virtual Lecture from Historic Annapolis – The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution at Zoom Virtual Lecture

The war that we now call the American Revolution was not only fought in the colonies by soldiers with muskets and bayonets. On both sides of the Atlantic, artists also played an integral role in forging revolutionary ideals. Discover with Dr. Zara Anishanslin the inspiring stories and intertwined lives of three largely forgotten Patriot artists: Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and Patience Wright. They defied the British monarchy, armed with paint, canvas, wax, and espionage while risking their lives and reputations to support the cause of liberty. The Historic Annapolis Virtual Lecture Series is offered free of charge thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor. If you enjoy this program, we hope you will consider becoming a member or making a donation today to support Historic Annapolis and our mission to connect all people with our shared history. Can’t watch live? All lectures will be recorded. Please register and you’ll receive the link to watch the recording after the event. Advance registration required; registration closes on half-hour prior to lecture. Cost: FREE This lecture will be offered virtually by Zoom. Upon registration, you will be sent the link for the video conference to join on the evening of the lecture. If you do not receive your confirmation email after you register, please check your Spam folder, or email Cara Garside at cara.garside@annapolis.org. To learn more about Zoom and to download the app to your computer, visit the Zoom website. About Our Presenter: Zara Anishanslin is Associate Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware, where she is also Director of its Museum Studies and Public Engagement Program. She previously taught at CUNY and at Columbia University and was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at Johns Hopkins. Her award-winning first book, Portrait of a Woman in Silk: Hidden Histories of the British Atlantic World, was published by Yale University Press in 2016. For her new book, The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution, (Harvard University Press, July 2025), she’s been a Mount Vernon Georgian Papers Fellow at the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, a Davis Center Fellow in Princeton’s History Department, a Mellon/ACLS Scholars & Society Fellow with the Museum of the American Revolution, and a Fellow at the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society. An avid public historian, she often works with museums on exhibitions, including the reinstallation of the Early American Wing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She is creator/co-host of the podcast “Thing 4 Things: The History Podcast Where Things Matter and Stuff Happens” (season 1, “The Stuff of Revolution” streaming now wherever you listen to podcasts)! But according to her children, the only cool thing on her CV is that she served as Material Culture Consult for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s show, “Hamilton: The Exhibition.” The information contained in the HA Virtual Lecture series represents the historical research, views and opinions of the lecture presenter and may not represent the views or opinions of Historic Annapolis, Inc.