Historical Painting Donated to Maritime Museum

A significant painting related to the history of Nova Scotia's African Nova Scotian community will be donated to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic today, July 24.

Donated by Robert Kearns of Toronto, Ont. the iconic watercolour depicts a monumental moment in 1792, when groups of Africans, freed from North American slavery, arrived in the colony of Sierra Leone aboard vessels from Nova Scotia.

Instigated by Black Loyalist leader Thomas Peters and led by abolitionist and naval officer John Clarkson, the event not only represented a major victory in the campaign against the slave trade, but also marked the founding of the city of Freetown and the nation of Sierra Leone.

Beginning at 3:30 p.m., the painting will be displayed in the Maritime Museum's Small Craft Gallery and Mr. Kearns will attend the unveiling.

Joining Mr. Kearns will be Haley Cox, a young Black Loyalist descendant who sailed to Freetown last fall aboard the Freedom Schooner Amistad. During her visit, Ms. Cox participated in a special presentation of a framed copy of the painting to the president of Sierra Leone.

David Christianson, manager of collections for the Nova Scotia Museum, will also be available to discuss the painting's significance to Nova Scotian heritage.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is located at 1675 Lower Water St., Halifax.