Did You Know?
The National Portrait Gallery (part of the
Smithsonian Institution) exhibits
a collection of portraits of
prominent men from American
history. One portrait in
particular stands out among
the rest. Visitors are said to
stop and stare up curiously
at the smiling face of a kindlooking
man wearing an
overcoat with a knit cap on his
head, as if he had just come
out of the cold. He is the only
black man in the collection.
Yarrow Mamout (1736-1823), an anglicization
of Yaro Mahmood, was a teenager when he was
captured, shipped by the Atlantic slave trade and sold
into slavery in America. He remained a slave for the
next 44 years until he bought his freedom at the age of 60
and rose above his grim past to become a successful stock
trader, financier, and homeowner.
His story of perseverance fascinated Charles Willson Peale
(1741-1827), a famed artist best known for his portraits of
George Washington and other military and presidential
leaders. In his diary, he makes a note on the former slave,
““It appears to me that the good temper of the man has
contributed considerably to longevity. Yarrow has been
noted for sobriety & a cheerful conduct . . . he is often
seen & heard in the Streets singing Praises to God—and
after conversing with him he said man is no good unless
his religion comes from the heart” (Witty, M. (2011). Unusual
Peale Portrait is a Rare Acquisition. online The Hunt
Magazine. Accessed 28 Jan. 2020). Those chants can be
interpreted as Yarrow reciting Qur’an in a melodious tone,
obviously enjoying his faithful adherence to Islam on the
streets of 18-19th century America.
It is quite astounding that he sat for yet a second portrait
with the painter James Alexander Simpson in 1822.
Admiration for him ran deep in the white community
despite the dark cloud of slavery hanging over the American
social and political system at the time. As one author
writes, “According to writings by his contemporaries, he
was admired for adhering to his faith” (“Portrait of Yarrow
Mamout (Muhammad Yaro), 1819 by Charles Willson
Peale” Philadelphia Museum of Art - Art on Demand Store,
artondemand.philamuseum.org/detail/467051/pealeportrait
of-yarrow-mamout-muhammad-yaro-1819).
Yarrow Mamout was a devout Muslim who could read and
write in Arabic, spoke fluent English, and as Peale’s statement
above illustrates, proudly practiced his faith in public. His
highly regarded work ethic helped him break out of the
shackles of slavery, live the American dream and settle down
in a modest house in Georgetown, D.C. He passed away in
his home and was interred in the section of his garden he
had designated as his prayer area. His obituary reads, “It is
known to all that knew him, that he was industrious, honest,
and moral.”
Yarrow Mamout reminds us that Islam landed in the
American heartland long before the migrations from across
the Muslim world in the last 30 years and that we have a
legacy that needs to be reclaimed.
For an eye-opening and detailed account of his life, read,
“From Slave Ship to Harvard: Yarrow Mamout and the
History of an African American Family” by the historian
James Johnston.
www.madania.org 11
/www.madania.org