"Portrait of Yarrow Mamout (Mamadou Yarrow)" by Charles Willson Peale

This is one of the earliest portraits of an African Muslim man in the United States. That's curator Kathleen Foster. Born in West Africa, Yarrow Marmoot lived through 45 years of enslavement in the United States. After gaining his freedom, he built an independent, prosperous life for himself. He owned his own home in Washington, D.C., and held stock in a bank. When Philadelphia artist Charles Wilson Peale made this portrait in 1819, Yarrow was in his early 80s. Still in good health, he swam daily in the Potomac. A devout Muslim, he was fluent in Arabic and prayed five times a day. Peale was intrigued to meet this thriving elderly man whose religious devotion he respected. He felt that there were many paths to God and that he could find brotherhood with someone of a different religion. And Yarrow represented a story of perseverance over incredible difficulties. So Peale admired that fortitude. He admired the kind of calm wisdom that you can see in Yarrow's face. Peale painted the portrait for his Philadelphia museum. He focused on Yarrow's head and shoulders, just as he had done with his portraits of American presidents and scientists. What it does is make you focus on his character, make you think about his expression. He looks to be big-hearted, compassionate, and intelligent. And I think those are the qualities that Peale is focusing on by zeroing in on his face.