Peregrine Tyam and Mrs. Mary Verney: Patriarchy and Race in Late 17th-Century England

Posted on Wed., March 5, 2025

Learn how 17th-century portraits illuminate the experiences and identities of London’s growing African population, particularly enslaved children, in this presentation by Research Fellow Susan D. Amussen, distinguished professor of history and the UC Merced Presidential Chair in the Humanities.

This is the Fletcher Jones Distinguished Fellow Lecture.

In the second half of the 17th century, London saw an increasing population of people of African descent, especially enslaved children, some of whom were marked with silver collars in portraits to signify their status as possessions. Through the portrait of Peregrine Tyam with Mary Lawley Verney, this lecture explores how these images help us understand the complex identities of people in late 17th-century England.

About the Speaker

Susan D. Amussen is Distinguished Professor of History at the University of California Merced. She is a historian of early modern Britain and its empire. Her works include An Ordered Society: Gender and Class in Early Modern England (1988); Caribbean Exchanges: Slavery and the Transformation of English Society, 1640-1700 (2007); and Gender, Culture and Politics in England, 1560-1640 (2017). She serves as co-editor of volume 3 (1500-1750) of the New Cambridge History of Britain, which will be published in 2025. While at The Huntington, she will be working on a project entitled “Placing Patriarchy in Early Modern Britain and its Empire” which is a long-term exploration of how patriarchy functions as a system in early modern England, and how it adapts and evolves in relation to other social systems. During the fellowship year, she will be focusing particularly on interactions between patriarchy and race, particularly through the young boys who appear in late 17th century portraits of noble women.