Accompanies article by T. Addison Richards, The Rice Lands of the South (pp. 721-38). Perhaps the most remarkable of these exhibitions [of singing by slaves] are those which are wont to occur on occasions of funeral solemnities, celebrated as they generally are, in the deep night-darkness of some dense old wood, made doubly dismal by the ghostly light of the pine torches and the phantom-like figures of the scarcely visible mourners (Richards, p.735).

Oil painting, titled Plantation Burial, shows a Black preacher and mourners at an evening burial service. Antrobus (1831-1907) was an Englishman who lived about eight years in the United States and briefly served in the Confederate Army. A writer in a Southern newspaper in 1860 remarked that this painting is illustrative of a negro funeral, and those conversant with such scenes will at once see how faithfully the artist has performed his task (quoted in Honour, The Image of the Black, vol. 4, pt. 1, p. 215).

Caption, enterrement d'un Negre a Bahia (funeral of a black in Bahia); burial in a Catholic cemetery outside of a town; the deceased was, perhaps, a free person of color. For an analysis of Rugendas' drawings, as these were informed by his anti-slavery views, see Robert W. Slenes, African Abrahams, Lucretias and Men of Sorrows: Allegory and Allusion in the Brazilian Anti-slavery Lithographs (1827-1835) of Johann Moritz Rugendas (Slavery & Abolition, vol. 23 [2002], pp. 147-168).

Captioned A Negro funeral in Virginia, depicts a casket born on horse-drawn carriage, preceded by grave diggers and followed by mourners. Reprinted in George A. Sala, America Revisited (London, 1882).

Caption, Convoi Funebre d'un fils de Roi Negre (funeral procession of the son of Black King); corpse carried in a litter to burial ground. The engravings in this book were taken from drawings made by Debret during his residence in Brazil from 1816 to 1831. For watercolors by Debret of scenes in Brazil, some of which were incorporated into his Voyage Pittoresque, see Jean Baptiste Debret, Viagem Pitoresca e Historica ao Brasil (Editora Itatiaia Limitada, Editora da Universidade de Sao Paulo, 1989; a reprint of the 1954 Paris edition, edited by R. De Castro Maya).

Caption, Enterrement d'une Femme Negre (funeral of a black woman). Shows entourage entering church, corpse on a litter carried by men and women; surrounding crowd singing and clapping. The engravings in this book were taken from drawings made by Debret during his residence in Brazil from 1816 to 1831. For watercolors by Debret of scenes in Brazil, some of which were incorporated into his Voyage Pittoresque, see Jean Baptiste Debret, Viagem Pitoresca e Historica ao Brasil (Editora Itatiaia Limitada, Editora da Universidade de Sao Paulo, 1989; a reprint of the 1954 Paris edition, edited by R. De Castro Maya).

Caption, Religious dancing of the Blacks, termed 'Shouting'. Although dating from the post-emancipation period, this scene is evocative of the late slave period. Only a portion of the author's detailed description is given here: Just before they break up, when the 'spirit is upon them' . . . they engage in a kind of shaker dance, which they term singularly enough, shouting . . . . A ring of singers is formed in an open space in the room, and they, without holding on to each other's hands, walk slowly around and around in a circle . . . . They then utter a kind of melodious chant, which gradually increases in strength, and in noise, until it fairly shakes the house, and it can be heard for a long distance . . . . I know of nothing similar to this dancing or shouting, in the religious excercises of any other class of people. It is entirely unknown among the white Christians here (Stearns, pp. 371-72).

The Methodist congregation in Nevis was established in the late 1780s or early 1790s. By 1802, "it numbered 900 coloured people and blacks" (Coke, p. 27). The original structure of the chapel shown on the right was built around 1797. In the foreground are free women of color and slaves, apparently dressed for Sunday services. In the British Library copy, this illustration is found in vol. 2 (London,1810).

This engraving depicts African-Americans sitting, kneeling, and standing, several with their arms raised, as they listen to a preacher. According to the accompanying text, “the German publication, Ilustrirte Zeilung. . . gives an account and sketch of a visit to the African Church, at Cincinnati, both of which we transfer to our columns, that our readers may see the style in which our colored population are descanted upon abroad” (p. 276). See image Ballou17-208.

Title, Funeral of a Negro, shows how dead Negroes are carried to the burial ground allotted for their interment . . . .The corpse is sewn up in a coarse bag, put into a hammock slung to a pole, and an old blanket flung over all. It is thus carried to the grave, by two Negroes, without ceremony or mourners; a short prayer is then muttered over the body, and the earth is thrown in by one of the pole bearers, whilst the other with his feet and a heavy wooden stake, beats it down compactly over the body (pp. 233-234). The people shown on the left are Amerindians. The foreground figures in Chamberlain's book were probably copied from water-colors drawn earlier by Joaquim Candido Guillobel. Born in Portugual in 1787, Guillobel came to Brazil in 1808, and from 1812 started drawing and painting small pictures on cards of everyday scenes in Rio de Janeiro. For biographical details on Guillobel, who died in 1859, and reproductions of about 60 of his original drawings in color (but not the ones of the Urban Funeral), see Joaquim Candido Guillobel, Usos e Costumes do Rio de Janeiro nas figurinhas de Guillobel [1978]. The text of this volume is given in both Portuguese and English; the author of the biographical notes who is, presumably the compiler of the volume, is not given in the Library of Congress copy that was consulted. (See this website, Chamberlain for related drawings.)

Moravian (United Brethren) congregation of blacks with three white ministers (at right); shows newly baptized slaves prostrating themselves and then being embraced by those who had been previously baptized. Caption is in both German (left) and French (right). The geographical area is not identified in the illustration, but it was St. Thomas (see Jon Sensbach, Rebeccaís Revival [Harvard Univ. Press, 2005], p. 97). See also image reference NW0174.

Captioned, Negresses Allant a L'Eglise, Pour Etre Baptisées (black females going to church to be baptized), shows two black mothers (?) elaborately dressed and bejeweled carrying infant girls and approaching the entrance of a church; they are followed by an older woman (the mother of the two women?) and preceded by an older man (the father of the two women?)--all are greeted at the entrance by the mulatto (?) priest or some other Catholic official. The engravings in this book were taken from drawings made by Debret during his residence in Brazil from 1816 to 1831. For watercolors by Debret of scenes in Brazil, some of which were incorporated into his Voyage Pittoresque, see Jean Baptiste Debret, Viagem Pitoresca e Historica ao Brasil (Editora Itatiaia Limitada, Editora da Universidade de Sao Paulo, 1989; a reprint of the 1954 Paris edition, edited by R. De Castro Maya).

Captioned, Convoi Funebre de Negrillons (funeral procession of black children), portrays (foreground), a deceased child laid out on a wooden (?) tray with flowers which is resting on an ornate canopied carriage (without wheels ?) that is pulled through the street; the grieving parents hold onto the carriage. In the background, another child is carried in a similar tray which is transported on a man's head. The engravings in this book were taken from drawings made by Debret during his residence in Brazil from 1816 to 1831. For watercolors by Debret of scenes in Brazil, some of which were incorporated into his Voyage Pittoresque, see Jean Baptiste Debret, Viagem Pitoresca e Historica ao Brasil (Editora Itatiaia Limitada, Editora da Universidade de Sao Paulo, 1989; a reprint of the 1954 Paris edition, edited by R. De Castro Maya).