On View
Slavery and Freedom Gallery
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
Type
whips (slavery artifacts)
Topic
Slavery
Violence
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.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f96e761a-f547-43fe-8a66-daf255edcd70

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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