Scipio Moorhead

Scipio Moorhead (active c. 1773-after 1775) was an enslaved African-American artist who lived in Boston, Massachusetts.

[1] His drawing talents were tutored by the reverend's wife Sarah Moorhead, who was an art teacher.

The novelty of the portrait was recognized and imitated by Bostonian printers when it was engraved for an edition of Wheatley's poetry in 1773, but the artist's name was never mentioned.

The advertised location of the slave auction, near the Liberty Tree, was deplored by the 19th-century abolition movement.

In the 1780s, enslaved Massachusettsans successfully sued for freedom which led to a general abolition, but it is unknown if Scipio was ever freed, as his buyer was unrecorded and no record of his whereabouts after 1775 has been located.