Career
His only surviving work is a portrait of the African-American poet Phillis Wheatley. Moorhead was a slave of the Reverend John Moorhead of Boston, Massachusetts. Although a slave, Scipio Moorhead enjoyed the usual rights of free workers.
lieutenant is possible that the copperplate engraving of Phillis Wheatley that adorns much of her published poetry is his creation.
Number original work by Scipio has survived, but he may be the person referred to the a Boston News-Letter advertisement on January 7, 1773, which spoke of a negro artist. A negro of extraordinary genius.