Portrait of a Genius: The Extraordinary Story of Francis Williams

In 1928, the V&A acquired a previously unknown portrait. It shows the Black Jamaican polymath Francis Williams (c. 1690-1762), dressed in a wig, surrounded by books and scientific instruments. In all of the previous history of Western art, there is no other image like this: a man who had been born into slavery, shown as a gentleman and scholar. The museum presumed it was a satire - but who had made it, when, where, and why, has remained a puzzle ever since.
Fara Dabhoiwala reveals the astonishing story of the painting’s true meaning, its connections to the greatest scientists of the Enlightenment - and Francis Williams’s extraordinary message to posterity.
This lecture was given at the Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre at the Victoria & Albert Museum, South Kensington, in association with the LRB, on Wednesday 16 October 2024.
For more V&A events and talks: www.vam.ac.uk/...
Read the lecture in the London Review of Books here:
www.lrb.co.uk/...
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[@permanenttrack]

Excellent lecture. Thank you for sharing.

[@vanshikakataruka2035]

I read the article right now. I always used to wonder why people spend millions on a painting? its just a painting, it doesnt signify anything.. now I finally what art signifies. It signifies societal problems at a time, it shows the perspective of the person drwaing it. it shoes the self perception of the person being drawn. the article was so well written that I could not stop reading. It was extraordinary

[@MARiordan]

What an absolutely fascinating and informative talk! Thank you very much.

[@mikemurray2027]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[@EyeByBrian]

Brilliant. 👏🏻

[@phdesmond1]

woo hoo!

[@dwdewhurst]

This should be disseminated massively more widely.