Portrait of William Ansah Sessarakoo Contributor: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Portrait of William Ansah Sessarakoo, circa 1749. In the eighteenth century, it was not uncommon for wealthy African leaders to send their sons, like William Ansah Sessarakoo, to Europe to be educated. In 1744, Sessarakoo boarded a ship to England when he was abruptly captured and sold into slavery when the ship stopped in Barbados. His father was able to secure his son’s freedom, and he continued his travel to England, where his portrait was taken.