Quaff & Quill: A Book Talk with Zara Anishanslin

The war that we now call the American Revolution was not only fought in the colonies with muskets and bayonets. On both sides of the Atlantic, artists armed with paint, canvas, and wax played an integral role in forging revolutionary ideals. Zara Anishanslin charts the intertwined lives of three such figures who dared to defy the British monarchy: Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and Patience Wright. From London to Boston, from Jamaica to Paris, from Bath to Philadelphia, these largely forgotten patriots boldly risked their reputations and their lives to declare independence.

Join the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies for a talk with Professor Zara Anishanslin (University of Delaware) about her new book The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution (Harvard, 2025) to learn about an extraordinary cohort whose experiences testify to both the promise and the limits of liberty in the founding era.

Light refreshments will be served.