work. Additionally, the painting's unusual depiction of a black woman writing has no parallel among the white artists contemporary to the period. However, despite the fact that 19th-century abolitionists were interested in Wheatley and gathered information and anecdotes about her and other Boston area slaves, there are no sources from the 18th or 19th century that attest to the identity of the artist. References External links Phillis Wheatley at the American Art Collaborative 1773 drawings African-American art Black people in art Phillis Wheatley Lost paintings