A exhibition about the prolific “cutter of profiles,” the artist Moses Williams, is now open at The Peale. Moses Williams was born ca. 1776 and was known for his ability to create detailed silhouettes (or “profiles”) of people’s faces. Williams was born enslaved to the artist and museum director, Charles Willson Peale, and grew up working in Peale’s Philadelphia museum. Williams’ story is now revealed at the Peale Museum in Baltimore, founded by Rembrandt Peale.

With the help our Lab partners at Quatrefoil Associates, we’re launching the first iteration of a permanent exhibit at The Peale about Moses Williams to shed light on his unique craft and share a story that was nearly forgotten to history. Research is ongoing into Moses Williams’ life and work, and we’ll continue to iterate and expand on this exhibition as new research is discovered.

We invite you to comment on and test out this new exhibition experience! 

This project has been financed in part with State funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, project contents or opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.