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1753 - 1784
African American poet, considered the first important black writer in the United States. Brought from Africa in 1761, she became a slave of the Boston merchant John Wheatley, who, recognizing her intelligence and wit, educated her and encouraged her talent. Her work, which was derivative, includes Poems on Various Subjects (1773). Although she obtained her freedom and traveled to England, where she was much admired, she eventually died in poverty.
A rare portrait of Phillis Wheatley shows her facing forward, wearing an evening dress and jewelry. The portrait appeared in Revue des Colonies in Paris between 1834 and 1842
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