“The Painter’s Fire": Artists in the American Revolution with Author Zara Anishanslin

"The Painter's Fire" : A Forgotten History of the Artists who Championed the American Revolution"

with Author Zara Anishanslin

Thursday, July 17th, 2025

Richard I. Burnham Resource Center | 82 Touro Street, Newport

Admission $15-$20 per person | *Student Discounts now available $10 with valid student ID

6:30 - 7:30 PM; doors open at 5:30 PM for a complimentary reception.

Charter Books in partnership with the Newport Historical Society is honored to host author Zara Anishanslin for a discussion on her new book “The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution”. Told through the lives of three remarkable artists, Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and Patience Wright, these largely forgotten patriots boldly risked their reputations and their lives to declare independence. Mostly excluded from formal political or military power, these artists and their circles fired salvos against the king on the walls of the Royal Academy as well as on the battlefields of North America. They used their talents to inspire rebellion, define American patriotism, and fashion a new political culture, often alongside more familiar revolutionary figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Phillis Wheatley. “The Painter’s Fire” highlights an extraordinary cohort whose experiences testify to both the promise and the limits of liberty in the founding era, and the power of artistic expression in revolutionary times.