NMAAHC Collections Search

Side chair by Thomas Day

Created by: Day, Thomas, American, 1801 - 1861
Owned by: Old Slave Mart Museum, American, founded 1937

Medium: mahogany, burlap, metal, upholstery
Dimensions: H x W x D: 32 1/2 × 18 × 16 in. (82.6 × 45.7 × 40.6 cm)

Type: side chairs

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

Date: ca. 1850

Description: Side chair created by Thomas Day. The chair has mahogany legs and back with scroll and floral detailing. There is an engraved floral motif on the center top rail. The seat is upholstered and filled with burlap. The fabric has cream, green, and red striped sections with black borders and an overall floral motif. The upholstery is worn with small areas of loss. The chairs springs are visible through the loose fabric backing below the seat.

Topic: African American; Business; Craftsmanship; Design; Domestic life; Free communities of color

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

Object number: 2017.108.2

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

The North Star, Volume 1, Number 22

Created by: The North Star, American, 1847 - 1859
Edited by: Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895
Published by: Nell, William Cooper, American, 1816 - 1874
Edited by: Delany, Martin Robison, American, 1812 - 1885
Written by: Mott, Lucretia, American, 1793 - 1880
Printed by: Dick, John, British

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: H x W (Folded): 25 × 18 1/4 in. (63.5 × 46.4 cm); H x W (Open): 24 13/16 × 36 5/16 in. (63 × 92.3 cm)

Type: newspapers

Place printed: Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States, North and Central America

Date: May 26, 1848

Description: The May 26, 1848 issue of the North Star, Volume 1, Number 22. The newspaper is one large sheet of paper that has been folded in half to create a four page spread. Each page is divided into seven columns of black text. On the front page mast head, large black text states [The North Star.] In the row below, the text on the far left reads [FREDERICK DOUGLASS / MR. DELANY, / EDITORS]. In the center, the text of the newspapers slogan reads, [RIGHT IS OF NO SEX - TRUTH IS OF NO COLOR- GOD IS THE FATHER OF US ALL, AND ALL WE ARE BROTHREN] The text on the right of the heading states, [WILLIAM C. NELL, PUBLISHER / JOHN DICK, PRINTER]. The third row has the printed text, [VOL I. NO. 22. / ROCHESTER, N.Y., FRIDAY, MAY 28, 1848. / WHOLE NO. - 22.]. Included on the second page in the second panel is the speech of Lucretia Mott at the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Topic: African American; Antislavery; Communities; Free communities of color; Freedom; Mass media; Social reform; United States--History--1815-1861

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

Object number: 2017.36.5

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

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Classification: Documents and Published Materials

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

Proof copy of the first printing of The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Created by: United States Congress, American, founded 1789
Printed by: Ritchie, Thomas, American, 1778 - 1854

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: H x W: 9 3/4 x 7 11/16 in. (24.8 x 19.5 cm)

Type: laws

Date: 1850

Description: Proof copy of the first printing of The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 consisting of a single leaf folded sheet to form four pages, quarto, on U.S. Government-issued blue stock printed in black ink. There are two annotations handwritten in black ink -correcting "B it enacted" to "Be it enacted," and "courts of United States" to "courts of the United States."

Topic: African American; Fugitive enslaved; Law; Self-liberation; Slavery; United States--History--1815-1861

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

Object number: 2009.14.4

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Published Works

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

Daguerreotype of a man taken by Augustus Washington

Created by: Washington, Augustus, American, 1821 - 1875
Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men

Medium: silver amalgam, silver on copper photographic plates with wood, leather, velvet, and metal
Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 3 1/4 x 2 5/16 in. (8.3 x 5.9 cm); Case open: 3 3/4 x 6 1/4 x 1/4 in. (9.5 x 15.9 x 0.6 cm); Case closed: 3 3/4 x 3 1/8 x 9/16 in. (9.5 x 7.9 x 1.4 cm)

Type: daguerreotypes; portraits

Place made: Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, North and Central America

Date: ca. 1850

Description: A black-and-white photograph of an unknown man wearing a jacket, vest, and tie. The sixth-plate daguerreotype is held in a wood and leather case with velvet lining and sits under a mat with a stamp reading [WASHINGTON] on the bottom left corner. On the back of the case is embossed: [WASHINGTON / 136 / GALLERY / MAIN ST / HARTFORD].

Topic: African American; Photography

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

Object number: 2010.52.1

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Media Arts-Photography

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Portrait of John Brown

Created by: Gardner, Alexander, Scottish, 1821 - 1882
Subject of: Brown, John, American, 1800 - 1859

Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on cardboard
Dimensions: H x W: 14 x 10 1/2 in. (35.6 x 26.7 cm)

Type: gelatin silver prints; portraits

Place depicted: Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: ca. 1859

Caption: This unusually large image of the renowned leader of the insurrection at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1858 is inscribed, “John Brown, Hero of Harpers Ferry. ‘His Soul goes marching on.’"
Description: A sepia toned portrait of John Brown in a black bordered, oval shaped mat. The inked inscription in red and green reads: John Brown, Hero of Harpers Ferry. "His Soul goes marching on."

Topic: African American; Antislavery; Photography; Slavery; United States--History--1815-1861

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

Object number: 2010.77.4

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Media Arts-Photography

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Record of taxable property, included enslaved persons, owned by Edward Rouzee

Owned by: Rouzee Family, American

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: L x W: 2 5/8 x 6 in. (6.7 x 15.2 cm)

Type: financial records; tax records

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

Date: October 22, 1841

Caption: This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
Description: This handwritten, single page document is an account of taxes owed by Edward Rouzee to the Sheriff of Essex County for the year 1841. The taxable property is listed as "26 slaves, 15 horses and Buggy," four hundred and fifteen (415), eighty-seven (87), two hundred and ninety-seven (297), and one hundred and six (106) acres of land, and twenty-six (26) county and poor levies. The itemized account listing is written in blue ink, the receipt for payment is written in brown ink and signed by Edward Rouzee and dated October 22, 1841. Further notes and accounting figures are written on the reverse in brown ink.
Transcription Center Status: Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Business; Finance; Law; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family

Object number: 2011.104.71

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Liljenquist Family Collection
Portfolio/Series: Rouzee Family Papers
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents

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

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Daguerreotype of Rhoda Phillips

Photograph by: Unidentified
Subject of: Phillips, Rhoda, American, 1831 - 1906

Medium: silver amalgam, silver on copper photographic plates
Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 2 x 2 1/2 in. (5.1 x 6.4 cm)

Type: daguerreotypes

Place captured: Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America

Date: ca. 1850

Description: A 1/9th plate daguerreotype of Rhoda Phillips (1831-1906), a woman who was born into slavery. She wears a dress with a flower pattern, lace cuffs, and a lace collar. The case is contemporary and has velvet lining.

Topic: African American; American South; Photography; Slavery

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

Object number: 2011.34

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

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Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Media Arts-Photography

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Written by: Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895
Published by: Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, American, founded 1835
Subject of: Garrison, William Lloyd, American, 1805 - 1879; Phillips, Wendell, American, 1811 - 1884

Medium: ink on paper, cardboard
Dimensions: H x W x D: 7 x 4 1/2 x 5 in. (17.8 x 11.4 x 12.7 cm); H x W x D (open at 90 degrees): 7 × 5 × 4 7/8 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 12.4 cm); H x W x D (open at 60 degrees): 7 × 5 × 4 1/4 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 10.8 cm)

Type: narratives; hardcover books

Place printed: Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1845

Description: A first edition copy of the memoir and antislavery book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself. The hardcover book has a brown cover with an imprinted decorative border and scrollwork. The title is stamped in gold lettering in the center: [NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE / OF / FREDERICK DOUGLASS]. The frontispiece illustration is a portrait of Douglass, seated at a table, wearing jacket, vest, and tie, with his hands crossed in his lap. The first page prints the full title in alternating large and small type: [NARRATIVE / OF THE / LIFE / OF / FREDERICK DOUGLASS, / AN / AMERICAN SLAVE. / WRITTEN BY HIMSELF]. The last part of the title appears between two horizontal lines. At the bottom center is the publishing information: [BOSTON: / PUBLISHED AT THE ANTI-SLAVERY OFFICE, / No. 25 CORNHILL / 1845.]. The book has a preface written by William Lloyd Garrison and a prefatory letter by Wendell Phillips. There are 125 pages.

Topic: African American; Antislavery; Freedom; Fugitive enslaved; Identity; Literature; Men; Resistance; Self-liberation; Slavery; United States--History--1815-1861

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Elizabeth Cassell

Object number: 2011.43.1

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-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

Broadside for a reward for fugitive slaves George, Jefferson, Esther, and Amanda

Created by: Unidentified

Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
Dimensions: H x W: 10 1/2 x 7 5/8 in. (26.7 x 19.4 cm)

Type: broadsides

Place depicted: Germantown, Mason County, Kentucky, United States, North and Central America

Date: January 20, 1840

Description: Text reads in part: "$1000 REWARD! Ran Away from the subscribers, on the night of the 5th inst. a NEGRO MAN named George, aged 22 or 23 years, 5 feet 7 or 8 inches in height--color, a dark black, a long or double head, had a variety of clothing, among which may be found a green frock cloth coat, with a black velvet collar, a low-crowned white silk hat. One negro BOY, aged 25 or twenty-six years . . . named Jefferson - - - he is a dark molatto [sic] . . . One negro girl, named ESTHER, . . . (nicknamed Puss) . . .a girl named AMANDA . . . " Posted by "Anderson Doniphan, Joseph Frazee, John D. Morford"; "Germantown, Mason Co. KY. 20th January 1840"

Topic: African American; Advertising; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection

Object number: 2011.51.17

Restrictions & Rights: Public Domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Liljenquist Family Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Torah scroll from Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation

Created by: Unidentified
Owned by: Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, American, founded 1984

Medium: wood and ink on parchment and sinew with alloy steel, brass, metal, paper and plastic
Dimensions: 37 11/16 × 14 3/4 × 6 11/16 in. (95.7 × 37.5 × 17 cm)

Type: scrolls (information artifacts)

Place used: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
Place made: Poland, Europe

Date: ca. 1850

Description: A handwritten Torah scroll containing the five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) handwritten in Hebrew on parchment. The scroll is rolled onto two wooden shafts topped on either end with four plates. The shafts and plates are known as Torah rollers [atzei chaim or "trees of life"]. The wooden and metal plates at the top of the left and right shafts are identical. The exterior sides of the top plates have been finished with two bands of inlaid metal resembling rope. Between the bands there is an alternating pattern of decorative brass tacks and larger white-coated, round bores holes that expose the metal plates beneath the wood. Inside the decorative bands near the center of the plates, are paper disks, inscribed in Hebrew and covered with protective clear, plastic film disks that have been secured in place with brass nails. At the top of the left roller, the finial is missing due to loss and has been wrapped in white, cloth tape. The spindle-shaped finial of the right roller is a wooden peg, covered with a length of metal tubing and three differently colored spindle-turned elements. The finials at the bottom of the Torah are both spindle shaped with matching plates but mismatched spindle-shaped handles. The left handle is darker than the right, has a different design and is shorter in length than the right handle.

Topic: African American; Identity; Religious groups; United States--Social life and customs

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; Gift of Rabbi Capers Funnye and the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation

Object number: 2011.88.1

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification: Religious and Sacred Objects

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Bed frame designed by Henry Boyd

Designed by: Boyd, Henry, American, 1802 - 1886
Manufactured by: Boyd Manufacturing Company, American, ca. 1830 - 1870

Medium: wood
Dimensions: H x W x D: 79 × 57 × 84 in., 140 lb. (200.7 × 144.8 × 213.4 cm, 63.5 kg)

Type: beds (furniture)

Place made: Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America

Date: ca. 1840

Description: A wooden four poster bed frame with head board and foot board. The side rails screw into the frame providing greater strength and limited hiding places for vermin. This type of frame is known as the "Boyd Bedstead."

Topic: African American; Business; Craftsmanship; Emancipation; Freedom; Men; Race discrimination; Slavery; Technology; United States--History--1815-1861; United States--History--1865-1921

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

Object number: 2012.113.1a-m

Restrictions & Rights: Public Domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Exhibition: Making a Way Out of No Way
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 050

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Charleston slave badge from 1850 for Mechanic No. 23

Created by: Unidentified

Medium: copper
Dimensions: H x W: 2 1/16 x 2 in. (5.2 x 5.1 cm)

Type: badges

Place made: Charleston, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1850

Description: A flat diamond-shaped tag with clipped corners and a hole at the top for suspension. Die stamped: "Charleston / 23 / Mechanic / 1850."

Topic: African American; Labor; Slavery; United States--History--1815-1861

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

Object number: 2008.4

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Tools and Equipment-Occupational
Exhibition: Making a Way Out of No Way
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 050

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Daguerreotype of a man in paisley vest

Photograph by: Unidentified
Created by: Littlefield, Parsons & Co., American, 1858 - 1866
Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men

Medium: silver on copper photographic plate with thermoplastic and velvet case
Dimensions: H x W x D (Case Open): 3 3/4 × 6 1/2 × 3/8 in. (9.5 × 16.5 × 1 cm); H x W x D (Case Closed): 3 3/4 × 3 1/4 × 7/8 in. (9.5 × 8.3 × 2.2 cm)

Type: daguerreotypes; portraits

Place collected: United States, North and Central America

Date: late 1840s

Description: 1/6 plate daguerreotype portrait of a man with a beard and paisley vest with gilt highlighting in a thermoplastic case. The man is pictured seated, center frame, with his proper right elbow bent and resting on a cloth-covered table. The table also holds a small vase of flowers. The man looks straight ahead at the camera. The daguerreotype is in a thermoplastic case manufactured by Littlefield, Parsons & Co. with gold colored oval framing around the photo and a red velvet lining. The case is most likely not the photograph's original presentation.

Topic: African American; Photography

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

Object number: 2008.9.15

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

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Classification: Media Arts-Photography

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Robbing the Eagle's Nest

Created by: Duncanson, Robert S., American, 1821 - 1872

Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: H x W: 35 1/2 x 45 1/2 in. (90.2 x 115.6 cm); Storage: 142.2 x 167.6 x 33 cm (56 x 66 x 13 in.)

Type: oil paintings

Place made: Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1856

Description: A view of the Ohio River Valley done in the American Romantic style of the Hudson River School. The painting features an eagle soaring by the face of a cliff. The inclusion of figures is rare in Duncanson's work.

Topic: African American; Art; United States--History--1815-1861

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

Object number: 2009.13ab

Restrictions & Rights: Public Domain

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Classification: Visual Arts
Exhibition: Visual Art and the American Experience
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

American Anti-Slavery Almanac Vol. II, No. I

Published by: Benedict, S. W., American
Subject of: American Anti-Slavery Society, American, 1833 - 1870

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: H x W: 7 3/8 x 4 5/8 in. (18.7 x 11.7 cm)

Type: almanacs

Place printed: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1842

Description: American Anti-Slavery Almanac for 1842 published by S. W. Benedict. The almanac is printed on off white paper in black ink. Printed below the title is “CALCULATED FOR THE HORIZON AND MERIDIAN OF BOSTON, NEW YORK, / BALTIMORE, AND CHARLESTON: AND FOR USE IN / EVERY PART OF THE COUNTRY.” An engraved image is at center. The image portrays a Caucasian woman holding a book up in her left hand. A burst of light is behind her. Men, women and children are around her watching. A ship and a building being constructed are in the background. The interior pages feature astronomical information, calendars and weather forecasts. Printed on the back is an article titled Principles of Christian Fellowship and a short parable titled What has become of that Leather?

Topic: African American; Antislavery; Communication; Literature

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

Object number: 2010.1.12

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-Published Works
Exhibition: Making a Way Out of No Way
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 050

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Daguerreotype of a young woman

Created by: Washington, Augustus, American, 1821 - 1875
Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women

Medium: silver amalgam, silver on copper photographic plates
Dimensions: H x W (Image and Sheet): 2 1/2 x 2 in. (6.4 x 5.1 cm); Case: 2 7/8 x 2 1/2 x 5/16 in. (7.3 x 6.4 x 0.8 cm)

Type: daguerreotypes; portraits

Date: ca. 1850

Description: A black-and-white photograph of a young woman dressed in a high-collared garment and wearing dangling earrings. The earrings have been hand-tinted gold. The plates are in a case that is missing its cover. The photograph has a gold colored frame stamped [WASHINGTON] on the bottom left corner.

Topic: African American; Photography

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

Object number: 2010.16

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Media Arts-Photography

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Manumission paper for Matilda and Cassandra Derickson

Signed by: Derickson, Charles, 1823 - 1912
Subject of: Derickson, Matilda, 1819 - 1910; Derickson, Cassandra; Kenny, James M., American, born 1810

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: H X W: 12 3/8 × 7 5/8 in. (31.4 × 19.4 cm); H x W (Folded with note visible): 6 3/16 × 7 5/8 in. (15.7 × 19.4 cm)

Type: free papers

Place used: Nicholas County, Kentucky, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1849

Description: Handwritten manumission paper written in cursive in black in on white paper. The paper reads [I Charles Derickson of Nicholas County & State of Kentucky do herby emancipate & set free a Negro Woman Slave Matilda aged about 30 years & her child Cassandra aged about 7 months the Same purchased by one of James M. Kenny the 2nd day of January 1849. / Given under my hand and seal this 19th day of March 1849 / Charles his [mark made] mark Derickson / Attest F. Munger]. The back of the paper reads: [C. Derickson / -Emancipation deed / March 7. 1849.].

Topic: African American; American South; Emancipation

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

Object number: 2010.59.13

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

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

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Manumission paper for Matilda and Cassandra Derickson

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