In 1804, the African populations of the colonial island of Saint- Domingue defeated their French enslavers and founded the new nation of Haiti, a free republic. Twenty years later, Haitian diplomat Pierre Joseph Marie Granville (1785–1839), known as Jonathas Granville, visited the United States to encourage free African Americans to emigrate. An estimated 6,000 people departed for Haiti in the wake of his visit. On his tour, Granville visited Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Baltimore. In Baltimore, Granville appealed to the Emigration Society, Bethel Church, and other groups of concerned citizens. During his visit, self-taught local artist Tilyard painted Granville’s portrait. The painting remained with the artist’s family until it was brought to The Baltimore Museum of Art.