Have you ever noticed how conversations about the American Revolution often center on great battles, founding documents, and famous statesmen?

What if, instead, we explored that world through the eyes—and the hands—of everyday people who shaped it through art?

Zara Anishanslin, Associate Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware and Director of its Museum Studies and Public Engagement Program, joins us to uncover the hidden world of artists, artisans, and makers who painted, stitched, and crafted the Revolution into being. Drawing from her book The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution, Zara helps us see how creativity and craftsmanship tell a fuller—and more human—story of America’s founding.
Zara’s Website | Book |
Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/423

EPISODE OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:41.79 Welcome & Episode Overview

00:02:59 Meet Our Guest

00:07:11 The Transatlantic Network of Revolutionary Artists

00:11:28 Why Revolutionary Artwork Didn't Survive

00:14:13 Prince Demah & His Mother Daphny

00:21:21 How Art Patronage Worked in the 18th Century

00:24:01 Finding Prince Demah a Teacher in London

00:27:40 Life as a Black Artist in London

00:41:22 Prince Demah's Life in Revolutionary Boston

00:49:24 Robert Edge Pine: The English Artist Who Supported America

00:59:24 How Revolutionary Art Differs from Later Commemorative Art

01:04:55 What Artists Reveal About the Revolution

01:07:29 Closing Thoughts & Resources

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423 The Forgotten Artists of the American Revolution