October is National Arts and Humanities Month. All That Philly Jazz Director Faye Anderson will lead a walking tour of the people, places and events in Moses Williams’ Philadelphia.

The first Black museum professional and master silhouette artist, Moses Williams was born into slavery in August 1776 in the household of Charles Willson Peale, “Portrait Painter of the Revolution.”

Faye successfully nominated Moses Williams (1776-1830) for a Pennsylvania historical marker. The marker will be dedicated in 2026, the 250th anniversary of his birth.

The walk and talk will start at 3rd and Lombard streets, near the site of the home of Charles Willson Peale, and end at Philosophical Hall, near the proposed location for installation of Moses Williams’ historical marker (.06 mile).

Points of interest along the way include:

• Site of the home of entrepreneur and abolitionist James Forten;
• Charles Willson Peale’s gravesite;
• Church where George Washington and Absalom Jones worshipped;
• Site of the home of Francis Johnson, the forefather of jazz;
• Site of the first Black Episcopal church in the United States;
• Locations of Peale’s Museum; and
• Organization founded by Benjamin Franklin that has a collection of Moses Williams’ silhouettes.

The walking tour will be held on select Saturdays in October, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

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