Coal-Carriers
This illustration shows a group of porters carrying massive trays of coal on top of their heads in Brazil. Ewbank reports how "a gang of fourteen slaves came past [his house], with enormously wide but shallow baskets on their heads. They were unloading a barge of sea-coal, and conveying it to a foundry or forge. The weight each bore appeared equal to that of a bag of coffee (160 lbs)" (p. 729). Thomas Ewbank (1792–1870) was an English writer on practical mechanics. In 1845–1846, he traveled to Brazil and on his return published an account of his travels. He was then appointed United States Commissioner of Patents by President Taylor in 1849. Harper's Magazine (also called Harper's) is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance and the arts.
Image Title
Coal-Carriers
RegID
SI-OB-231
Date
1853
Title
Coal-Carriers
Source
Thomas Ewbank, "A Visit to the Land of the Cocoa and Palm," Harper's New Monthly Magazine (1853), vol. 7, p. 729. Copy in Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library.
Language
English
Item sets
Miscellaneous Occupations & Economic Activities
Spatial Coverage
South America--Brazil
Reproduced In
Thomas Ewbank, "A Visit to the Land of the Cocoa and Palm," Harper's New Monthly Magazine (1853), vol. 7, p. 729. Copy in Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library.
Researchers
Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Identifier
HW9-729b