NMAAHC Collections Search

Brown and cream striped day dress from the Civil War era

Created by: Unidentified
Manufactured by: India Rubber Comb Company, 1854 - 1890
Subject of: Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007

Medium: cotton cloth with vulcanized rubber buttons
Dimensions: H x W (flat): 53 3/4 × 29 1/4 in. (136.5 × 74.3 cm)

Type: dresses

Date: 1865-1875

Description: A brown and cream striped cotton day dress from the Civil War era. The dress has a fitted collarless bodice that buttons at the center front with six (6) black vulcanized rubber buttons marked on the reverse "I.R.C. Co. / 1851. / GOODYEAR". The fitted full-length sleeves have a detail at the wrist with the fabric sewn on the bias. Self-piping is sewn at the gathered waistband, which is more heavily gathered in the back. The skirt is full with a wide hem that falls at or below the ankles. The dress is both machine and hand sewn. The bodice and sleeves are lined with a plain cotton muslin. The skirt is not lined. There is one inset pocket at the proper right hip, with the pocket made from plain cotton muslin.

Topic: African American; Clothing and dress; Fashion; United States--Social life and customs; Women

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane

Object number: 2007.3.34

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification: Clothing-Historical
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Dress made by an unidentified enslaved woman or women

Created by: Unidentified Woman or Women
Subject of: Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007

Medium: cotton (textile), muslin
Dimensions: H x W x D (On Form): 47 1/2 x 23 x 20 in. (120.7 x 58.4 x 50.8 cm); Waist: 25 1/2 in. (64.8 cm); H x W (In box, padded out): 45 1/4 × 22 × 9 1/2 in. (114.9 × 55.9 × 24.1 cm)

Type: dresses

Place made: Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1845-1865

Description: This is a handstitched long-sleeved dress with a full skirt made from a balanced plain-weave printed cotton. The sleeves are gathered at the back shoulder seam and the shoulder seam is dropped in the back. The bodice is gathered at the front waist and has a neck band with no collar. Both the neck band and the waist band are fussy cut to display the printed design. Piping is attached at the armholes and along the bottom of the waistband. The skirt is gathered at the front hips and the back with a flat panel along the center front waist. On the proper back bodice, three (3) glass buttons are sewn on the left side of the back opening (placket), with four (4) button holes on the right side. At the waist, two (2) decorative buttons are sewn on the right side of the opening, without corresponding button holes on the left side. The hem is turned up 3 1/2". The bodice and sleeves are lined with muslin, while the skirt is unlined. The printed pattern on the fabric is four (4) colors and black, with a base color of reddish brown, on top of which is a repeating pattern of columns of red roses alternating with columns of diamonds and clubs on a cream background inside a black, orange, and red border.

Topic: African American; Clothing and dress; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane

Object number: 2007.3.4

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Clothing-Historical
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Printed floral skirt worn by Lucy Lee Shirley as a child

Created by: Unidentified
Worn by: Shirley, Lucy Lee, American, 1855 - 1929
Subject of: Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007

Medium: bast fiber, wool textile, and synthetic fiber
Dimensions: H x W (Flat): 18 × 33 1/2 in. (45.7 × 85.1 cm); Waist: 24 1/2 in. (62.2 cm)

Type: skirts

Place used: Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: ca. 1860

Description: A child's circular skirt in a floral print with a pleated flounce on the hem. The main fabric is a plain weave natural fiber fabric with a cream ground and a repeating pattern of small four-petal flowers in red, purple, blue, and tan. The skirt is predominantly hand-sewn. It has a waistband made from an undyed bast fiber fabric with the floral print gathered and whip stitched to the waistband. The skirt is more closely gathered on the back. There is a slit at the center back that divides the waistband completely. There is no attached closure method, but rust staining at the back opening of the waistband suggests the skirt was pinned to close. The bottom of the skirt has an extra flounce of the floral print that has a series of pleats around the skirt in sets of three alternating with straight sections. This flounce is machine-sewn at the top and 1 1/2 inches from the bottom using blue thread that is possibly a synthetic fiber. The bottom and top edges of the flounce are bound with blue fabric sewn on the bias. The interior of the skirt is lined only behind the extra flounce with a hand-pinked undyed bast fiber fabric. There is a previous repair on the back proper right side of the skirt where a panel of light brown synthetic fabric is hand sewn on the interior of the skirt from the gathering at the waist to the top of the older linen lining on the bottom.

Topic: African American; Children; Clothing and dress; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane

Object number: 2007.3.5

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Clothing-Historical
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Shackles

Created by: Unidentified

Medium: iron
Dimensions: H x W x D: 2 1/2 x 9 x 1 1/4 in. (6.4 x 22.9 x 3.2 cm)

Type: shackles

Date: Before 1860

Description: Shackles consist of an iron bolt with a pair of loops slid onto it thorugh a hole in each end of the loop. One end of the bar is fixed closed by an integral metal flange large enough to prevent the loops from being removed. The other end of the bar ends in an "eye" and is locked by a large "lock washer" inserted at the time the shackles were applied.

Topic: African American; Africa; Trans Atlantic slave trade

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2008.10.4

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Petition signed by John Cuffe and Paul Cuffe regarding taxation

Written by: Unidentified
Signed by: Cuffe, John, American, 1752 - 1836; Cuffe, Paul, American, 1759 - 1817

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: H x W: 8 1/2 × 8 in. (21.6 × 20.3 cm)

Type: petitions

Place made: Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date: December 19, 1780

Caption: Paul Cuffe was born a free man in Massachusetts. His mother was Native American and his father was of West African Ashanti lineage. An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Cuffe gained wealth as owner of an international shipping company. Despite his success, as an African American he was viewed as a second-class citizen and denied equal rights. As a taxpayer, Paul Cuffe petitioned the Massachusetts legislature in 1780 and demanded his right to vote. Free and enslaved African Americans petitioned for freedom, equality, and justice through the courts and state legislatures. They sought to assert their rights, promote their identity as citizens of the new nation, and challenge their status as enslaved people.; Source: Nancy Bercaw, Curator, Slavery and Freedom
Description: A petition to the court of Bristol County, Massachusetts, in Taunton written by an unidentified hand and signed by John Cuffe and Paul Cuffe. The text is handwritten in black ink on the front and back sides of the same sheet of paper. The petition is in regards to taxation by the state upon the signatories, who are of Indian descent and are arguing they are therefore not subject to such taxation.

Topic: African American; Free communities of color; Government; Justice; Law; Resistance; Suffrage; United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2009.26.1

Restrictions & Rights: Public Domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Letter to Charles Humbert Marie Vincent signed by Toussaint Louverture

Written by: Unidentified
Signed by: Louverture, Toussaint, Haitian, 1743 - 1803
Received by: Vincent, Charles Humbert Marie, French, 1753 - 1831

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: H x W x D: 39 x 23 x 2 in. (99.1 x 58.4 x 5.1 cm)

Type: letters (correspondence)

Place made: Cap-Haïtien, Nord, Haiti, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
Place used: France, Europe

Date: October 21, 1797

Caption: Toussaint Louverture campaigned tirelessly on behalf of slaves during the Haitian Revolution, and his actions helped push France to abolish slavery in all its colonies in 1794. He wrote this letter in response to a speech in French parliament calling for slavery's restoration on Saint-Domingue. He warned the French that he would fight for Haitian independence if France ever revoked abolition.
Description: A letter signed by Toussaint Louverture to Charles Humbert Marie Vincent from Cap-Français (now Cap-Haïtien), Haiti, on October 21, 1797. The text itself was recorded by a scribe as Louverture's written French was limited, though the content comprises his own thoughts. At the top of the first page is pre-printed letterhead for Toussaint Louverture, Chief General of the Army of Saint-Domingue. The letter is handwritten in black ink on the front and back sides of two (2) sheets of paper. The contents of the letter are in regards to ongoing conflicts in the French colony of Saint Domingue, later the free nation of Haiti, and military leader Louverture's dissatisfaction with a speech given in the French parliament earlier in 1797 in which Viénot de Vaublanc spoke against abolition and people of African descent as uncivilized.

Topic: African American; Antislavery; Correspondence; Freedom; Government; Justice; Military; Resistance

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2009.26.2ab

Restrictions & Rights: public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Documents and Published Materials; Slavery and Freedom Objects
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Identification button used by Thomas Porter II

Manufactured by: I. Nutting & Son, British, ca.1805 - 1840
Used by: Porter, Thomas II, British, 1790 - 1857

Medium: pewter
Dimensions: Diameter: 13/16 in. (2.1 cm), 3.9Grams

Type: buttons (fasteners); buttons (information artifacts)

Place collected: Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Place used: Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana, South America

Date: ca. 1820

Description: A round pewter button with "TPORTER" stamped across the middle. This button would have been sewn onto an enslaved person's shirt to identify him or her as belonging to Thomas Porter II. On the reverse side of the button there are fine concentric circle impressions within a pronounced rim as well as a stamp which is now illegible. There is also evidence of a parting line for a two-part mold on the reverse of the button. The button has considerable wear with pitting on both sides.

Topic: African American; Middle Passage

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2009.32.1

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Identification button used by Thomas Porter II

Manufactured by: I. Nutting & Son, British, ca.1805 - 1840
Used by: Porter, Thomas II, British, 1790 - 1857

Medium: pewter
Dimensions: Diameter: 13/16 in. (2.1 cm), 3.2Grams

Type: buttons (fasteners); buttons (information artifacts)

Place collected: Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Place used: Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana, South America

Date: ca. 1820

Description: A round pewter button with "TPORTER" stamped across the middle. This button would have been sewn onto an enslaved person's shirt to identify him or her as belonging to Thomas Porter II. On the reverse side of the button there is a pronounced concavity which may have occurred after fabrication. The button has considerable wear with pitting on both sides.

Topic: African American; Middle Passage

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2009.32.2

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Identification button used by Thomas Porter II

Created by: Unidentified
Used by: Porter, Thomas II, British, 1790 - 1857

Medium: copper alloy
Dimensions: Diameter: 3/4 in. (1.9 cm), 2.7Grams

Type: buttons (fasteners); buttons (information artifacts)

Place collected: Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Place used: Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana, South America

Date: ca. 1820

Description: A round copper-alloy button with the initials "T*P" on the front. This button would have been sewn onto an enslaved person's shirt to identify him or her as belonging to Thomas Porter II. There is an inscription on the reverse of the button in two concentric circles that reads, "FINE ORANGE STANDARD GILT." There is a considerable amount of verdigris on both sides of the button.

Topic: African American; Middle Passage

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2009.32.3

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Identification button used by Thomas Porter II

Created by: Unidentified
Used by: Porter, Thomas II, British, 1790 - 1857

Medium: copper alloy
Dimensions: Diameter: 3/4 in. (1.9 cm), 2.8Grams

Type: buttons (fasteners); buttons (information artifacts)

Place collected: Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Place used: Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana, South America

Date: ca. 1820

Description: A round copper-alloy button with the initials "T*P" on the front. This button would have been sewn onto an enslaved person's shirt to identify him or her as belonging to Thomas Porter. There is an inscription on the reverse of the button in two concentric circles that reads, "FINE ORANGE STANDARD GILT."

Topic: African American; Middle Passage

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2009.32.4

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Gospel Hymns No. 2

Personal hymnal of Harriet Tubman

Composed by: Bliss, Philip Paul; Sankey, Ira D.
Owned by: Tubman, Harriet, American, 1822 - 1913

Medium: ink on paper, cardboard
Dimensions: H x W x D: 8 3/16 x 5 3/8 x 9/16 in. (20.8 x 13.7 x 1.4 cm)

Type: books

Date: 1876

Caption: Gospel Hymns No. 2, by P. P. Bliss and Ira D. Sankey, Harriet Tubman’s personal book of hymns.
Description: Book of hymns by P.P. Bliss and Ira D. Sankey, 112-pages, discolored cover with black printing, text and binding. Text reads "Gospel hymns No. 2, BY PP. BLISS AND IRA D. SANKEY AS USED BY THEM IN GOSPEL MEETINGS."

Topic: African American; Emancipation; Gospel (Music); Religion; Slavery; United States--History--1865-1921

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Blockson

Object number: 2009.50.25

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Silk lace and linen shawl given to Harriet Tubman by Queen Victoria

Created by: Unidentified
Owned by: Tubman, Harriet, American, 1822 - 1913

Medium: silk lace and linen
Dimensions: H x W: 36 1/2 x 28 1/2 in. (92.7 x 72.4 cm)

Type: shawls

Date: ca. 1897

Caption: Harriet Tubman escaped the bonds of slavery as a young woman in the early 1800s. She returned to the South many times as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad to lead other African Americans to freedom. During the Civil War, Tubman served as a spy, nurse, and cook for Union Forces. In 1863, she helped free more than 700 African Americans during a raid in South Carolina - a feat that earned her the nickname "General Tubman." England's Queen Victoria gave Tubman this shawl around 1897.; From Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863, and the March on Washington, 1963.
Description: White, square-shaped shawl made of silk lace and linen.

Topic: African American; Clothing and dress; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Blockson

Object number: 2009.50.39

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Clothing-Historical
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Bill of sale for a girl named Clary purchased by Robert Jardine for 50 pounds

Written by: Unidentified
Subject of: Jardine, Robert; Ferguson, John, American, 1784 - 1854; Burk, Richard, American; Burk, Susanah, American; Burk, Edmund, American

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: H x W (complete): 12 5/16 × 7 3/4 in. (31.2 × 19.7 cm); H x W (top half): 6 1/8 × 7 3/4 in. (15.6 × 19.7 cm); H x W (bottom half): 6 1/8 × 7 3/4 in. (15.6 × 19.7 cm)

Type: bills of sale

Place made: Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: January 15, 1806

Caption: Clary and the Fancy Girl Trade, 1806; Black women were the sexual prey of white men since the 1600s. During the domestic slave trade, a new category of enslaved women emerged, known as “fancy girls.” Young and usually light-skinned, these black women were purchased explicitly for sexual exploitation, at rates four to five times the price of women field laborers.; Source: Nancy Bercaw, Curator, Slavery and Freedom
Description: Bill of sale of an enslaved girl named Clary[?] to Robert S. Jardine for the price of fifty pounds. The document is written on yellowed paper in brown colored ink. The document is severely creased and contains numerous holes at center along the creases. It is separated into two pieces. The two original pieces of paper are adhered to a newer piece of paper. The bill of sale begins with “Know all men by these Presents that we / the Subscribers have Bargained, sold, / Transferred and Delivered, and by these Presents / doath Bargain Sel, Transfer and deliver unto / Robert S. Jardine a negro girl named / Clary[?] for the Consideration of Fifty Pounds / Current Money of Virginia…” the document has the names of sellers and witnesses written at the bottom. Additional unrelated writing is written vertically in red ink on the upper left corner.

Topic: African American; Children; Domestic slave trade; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2010.1.117ab

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Documents and Published Materials; Slavery and Freedom Objects
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Deed of sale between William Walker and John and Joan Gunston

Written by: Unidentified
Subject of: Walker, William, English
Signed by: Gunston, John, English; Gunston, Joan, English; Gunston, Ursula, English; Warren, Thomas, English; Bulkeley, William, English; Manby, James, English

Medium: ink on vellum
Dimensions: H x W: 20 3/8 × 28 1/8 in. (51.8 × 71.4 cm)

Type: deeds; indentures

Place made: Somerset County, England, Europe; Saint George, Barbados, Caribbean, North and Central America

Date: March 28, 1685

Description: A deed of sale document between William Walker and John and Joan Gunston for the sum of seven hundred pounds. The upper left corner of text is embellished with stylized writing. The bottom of the document has the signatures of John and Joan Gunston. Both signatures have attached seals with paper ribbons attached. The document begins “This Indenture made the Eight and Twentieth day of March In the first yeare of the reined of our Sovereign Lord James the second by the grace / of God of England Scottland Ffrance and Ireland King defender of the faith Anno Dni 1685 Betweene John Gunston and Joan Gunston Spinster both of Taunton Deane / in the county of Somersett Nephew and Niece Captain Thomas Gunston late of the parish of St. George in the island of Barbados (illegible) on the one part And William Walker / Cittizen and Ironmonger of London of the other part Withnesseth that they the said John Gunston and Joan Gunston as well for and in consideration of the summe of Seven / hundred pounds of lawfull money of England to them in hand payd by the said William Walker…” The middle of the document mentions the ownership and transfer of the Negro slaves. Written on the back side of the document at center is “28th March 1684 / Mr Jhn Gunston & Mrs Joan Gunston Conveyance / to Mr. William Walker.” On the back in the upper left corner is a small summary of the exchange of funds with witness signatures. In the upper right corner is a statement of understanding signed by Ursula Gunston. Witness signatures and a small wax seal stamp are also present.
Transcription Center Status: Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic: African American; Business; Communication; Trans Atlantic slave trade

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2010.1.316

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Teapot made by Peter Bentzon

Created by: Bentzon, Peter, American, ca. 1783 - after 1850

Medium: silver and wood
Dimensions: H x W: 7 x 12 x 5 in. (17.8 x 30.5 x 12.7 cm)

Type: teapots

Place made: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America

Date: ca. 1817-1829

Description: The silver teapot has an oval vase-shape on a spreading pedestal foot, with curved spout capped by an incised patera and wooden leaf-capped scroll handle, and hinged domed cover with acorn finial. The scripted monogram "MC" has been engraved on the side and the name "Rebecca Dawson" has been engraved along the bottom rim.

Topic: African American; African diaspora; Craftsmanship; Free communities of color; Ornamentation; United States--History--1815-1861

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2010.14

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Slave whip owned by British abolitionist Charles James Fox

Created by: Unidentified
Owned by: Hon. Fox, Charles James, British, 1749 - 1806

Medium: leather and hide
Dimensions: H x W: 35 13/16 in. (91 cm)

Type: whips (slavery artifacts)

Place depicted: Caribbean
Place used: London, England, Europe

Date: late 18th century

Description: Braided leather handle with single lash made from animal hide put through a hole on one end with a ring of hide for hanging through the other end.

Topic: African American; Antislavery; Slavery; Violence

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2010.21.1.2

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Tools and Equipment-Occupational
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Slave whip owned by British abolitionist Charles James Fox

Created by: Unidentified
Owned by: Hon. Fox, Charles James, British, 1749 - 1806

Medium: hide and wood
Dimensions: H x W: 40 15/16 in. (104 cm)

Type: whips (slavery artifacts)

Place depicted: Caribbean
Place used: London, England, Europe

Date: late 18th century

Description: Wooden handle with hide lash and hide loop through opposite end for hanging storage

Topic: African American; Antislavery; Slavery; Violence

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2010.21.1.3

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Tools and Equipment-Occupational
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Notice of an impending sheriff's sale of 7 enslaved persons

Created by: Rupell, Edward
Subject of: Davis, George; Schultz, George

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: H x W: 8 x 8 1/2 in. (20.3 x 21.6 cm)

Type: legal notices

Place made: Savannah, Andrew County, Missouri, United States, North and Central America

Date: March 15, 1862

Description: A legal notice of judgment against George Davis for $2,434.20 where Andrew County, Missouri sheriff Edward Rupell announces that he will sell enslaved persons Martin, Walker, Rachel, Amanda, Alice, Polly, and Addie at public auction to settle Davis' debt.
Transcription Center Status: Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic: African American; Domestic slave trade; Law; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2010.77.12

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Iron collar and key

Manufactured by: Unidentified

Medium: wrought iron
Dimensions: 2011.155.285a-Slave collar: 1 1/2 x 6 x 6 1/4 in. (3.8 x 15.2 x 15.9 cm); 2011.155.285b-key: 4 5/8 x 2 9/16 x 7/8 in. (11.7 x 6.5 x 2.2 cm); 2011.155.285c-lock: 3 1/8 × 2 5/8 × 3/4 in. (7.9 × 6.7 × 1.9 cm)

Type: keys (hardware); collars (neckwear)

Date: 18th - mid 19th centuries

Description: Wrought iron slave collar with a three inch locking device and a three inch key. The collar is made up of two pieces of iron attached with a hinged, chain link back. Each end of the collar has an eyelet that can overlap and the lock can be inserted in to. The lock has a cylinder locking mechanism and a curved shackle hinged on one side. The key has an eyelet on one end and a shoulder in the middle of the shaft. The teeth of the key are threaded like a screw.

Topic: African American; Prisons; Slavery; Violence

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2011.155.285abc

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Broadside for the sale of enslaved persons and other property of William Bland

Printed by: T. H. Gunter & Co., American
Subject of: Bland, William, American, 1765 - 1850; Unidentified Man or Men; Unidentified Woman or Women; Unidentified Child or Children

Medium: ink on paper, cardboard , metal and glass
Dimensions: framed: 11 x 14 x 1/2 in. (27.9 x 35.6 x 1.2 cm); H x W (unframed): 7 3/8 x 9 3/4 in. (18.7 x 24.8 cm)

Type: broadsides

Place printed: Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1847

Caption: People, Livestock, and Tools for Sale, 1847; Enslaved people were traded no differently than a piece of farming equipment, livestock, or commodity crops. Slave traders and owners viewed the men, women, and children listed as inventory in this broadside as inhuman and lacking feeling, but they were loved by someone.; Source: Nancy Bercaw, Curator, Slavery and Freedom
Description: A paper broadside advertising a public sale of enslaved people and other property owned by William Bland. The broadside has black text on yellowed paper. Some of the ink in the top right corner has bled and stained the paper. Additional marks and water stains appear throughout the advertisement. The broadside reads “PUBLIC SALE. / There will be sold to the highest bidder on the 26th / inst., at the residence of William Bland, sen., living 1 mile / from the Red Mills, the personal property of said bland. / 3 NEGRO MEN, 4 women, 1 boy, and some children, / 12 or 15 head of Horses, 1 yoke of Oxen, 25 or 30 / head of Cattle, 40 or 50 head of Sheep, 80 or 100 head / of Hogs, 1 five-horse Wagon, Farming Utensils of every / description. Also—a quantity of Wheat, Corn, Oats, Hay, / &c. Household & Kitchen Furniture, with many other / articles too tedious to mention. / All of the above property will be sold on a credit of 12 / months. Bond and good security will be required of the / purchasers. / L. BBLAND / JNO. A. RAIN, / E. H. BLAND, / Agents. / February 19, 1847. / T. H. Gunter & CO., Printers, Elizabethtown, Ky.”

Topic: African American; Domestic slave trade; Finance; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2011.155.292

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

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