- On View
- Slavery and Freedom Gallery
- Museum Maps
- Objects in this Location
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Created by
- Unidentified
- Date
- 1850s
- Medium
- leather, wood, metal
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (Straightened): 32 1/2 × 2 × 2 in. (82.6 × 5.1 × 5.1 cm)
- H x W x D (Relaxed): 16 1/2 × 12 1/2 × 1 1/4 in. (41.9 × 31.8 × 3.2 cm)
- Description
- A long leather snake-style whip. Singled leather braided strip with multiple leather strip tails on the end, acting as the popper. By the handle, there are two different adjacent butt knots. One closest to the handle is braided but appears to be made up of small rectangles, while the other knot has bigger braids with what appear to be diagonal rectangles. The handle is leather as well, with one line of leather lace down a side, with the tip lined on the exterior perimeter with more leather. Inside handle is a piece of metal that is capable of rotating within the handle (inherent?). The "relaxed" dimension element is dependent on how tightly the whip is wrapped.
- Braided leather is fraying and discoloring throughout, as well as stiffening from being curled. Leather popper tails are heavily discolored and extremely stiff. Handle is also extremely discolored, spotted throughout. Metal element inside handle can rotate, and it is not clear if that is inherent to the object or something coming loose.
- Place collected
- Augusta, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Weapons and Ammunition
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Oprah Winfrey
- Object number
- 2014.312.110
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




