Portrait of Lucy Terry Prince

Painting, based on her research, is used with permission of the artist Louise Minks • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

This painting was created by Louise Minks of Leverett, Massachusetts. Lucy (Terry) Prince was enslaved by Ebenezer Wells (1691-1758) and his wife, Abigail (Barnard), who were a childless couple living on Lot 26 in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Lucy, who was brought to Deerfield by Mr. Wells when she was five years old, is credited with being the author of a poem “The Bars Fight,” describing the last Indigenous attack on residents of Deerfield on August 25, 1746. She was known for her storytelling abilities. She married a free African American, Abijah Prince, in 1756, and she and her husband lived for a time in a house built on land at the eastern end of the Wells’ homelot before moving permanently to Vermont.

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Details

Item typePainting
CreatorMinks, Louise
Date1990–2015
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicAfrican American, Black Life
Slavery, Indenture
EraColonial settlement, 1620–1762
MaterialCloth; Paint
Process/FormatOil
Catalog #M.25
View this item in our curatorial database →
Minks, Louise. Portrait of Lucy Terry Prince. Painting. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/m-25/. Accessed on December 6, 2024.

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