JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — With powerfully haunting eyes and an enigmatic expression, “Portrait of Frederick,” an enslaved man painted circa 1840, stares out at visitors of the Mississippi Museum of Art.

A little further into the museum is Delia, a Black woman dressed in red and wearing a headscarf who bears a similarly unknowable expression. The pair of portraits are the only known preemancipation paintings of enslaved people in Mississippi.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. kAm}@H[ 7@C E96 7:CDE E:>6[ E96J 92?8 E@86E96C 7@C E96 AF3=:4 E@ D66]k^Am kAm“x H2D >6D>6C:K65 3J E96 A2:?E:?8[Q >FD6F> G:D:E@C $E24: (:==:2>D D2:5] Q%96 4@=@CD[ E96 6IAC6DD:@?] w:D 9F>2?:EJ D66>65 E@

See Full Page