This sketch shows Elmina Castle in the Voltaic region. Durand sailed on a French slaving vessel when he visited the West African coast. He wrote that "Elmina is undoubtedly the most handsome and strongest fort of the coast. It is situated on the seashore, and farther up on a mountain is another fort that dominates the one below. . . The village at the foot of the two forts resembles a small city. The streets are well laid out, and there are workers of all professions. The houses are very pretty" For Durand's comments on this drawing and its historical context, see Robert Harms, The Diligent: A Voyage through the worlds of the slave trade (Basic Books, 2002), fig. 17.1 pp. 133-135; and also Christopher DeCorse, An Archaeology of Elmina: Africans and Europeans on the Gold Coast, 1400-1900 (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001).

Robert Durand, Journal de bord d'un negrier, 1731-1732, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, Gen Mss, vol. 7, p. 38. Courtesy of Robert Harms.

French

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Harms-1

Africa--Voltaic--Elmina

"Untitled Image (Elmina Castle and Neighboring Village)", Slavery Images: A Visual Record of the African Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Early African Diaspora, accessed October 2, 2023, http://slaveryimages.org/s/slaveryimages/item/568