Slave Yard at Goree, Senegal, 1805
Captioned, View of a slave yard at Gorèe, this illustration shows several men, women, and children; a man on the left appears to be having lice picked out of his hair, two women are shown with infants on their backs (one is pounding meal, using a wooden mortar and pestle). The riches of the inhabitants consists of slaves, the Spilsbury writes, each house having a slave yard, with huts for them; among the female slaves are many elegant figures . . . The slaves of both sexes are naked, except the piece of cloth which passes round their loins. The females do all the drudgery , such as beating corn, etc. and their children at their backs: this operation is performed in a wooden mortar, with a large pestle; and to show their agility, the women clap their hands while it flies upwards (p. 12). The author, a surgeon aboard the Favourite, made the various sketches from which the accompanying engravings have been produced . . . the drawings and portraits were made on the spot (pp. iii-iv).
Image Title
Slave Yard at Goree, Senegal, 1805
RegID
SI-OB-715
Date
1805
Title
Slave Yard at Goree, Senegal, 1805
Source
Francis B. Spilsbury, Account of a voyage to the Western coast of Africa; performed by His Majesty's sloop Favourite, in the year 1805 (London, 1807), facing p. 14 (Copy in Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library)
Language
English
Item sets
Slave Sales & Auctions: African Coast & the Americas
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Western Savanna--Gorée
Reproduced In
Francis B. Spilsbury, Account of a voyage to the Western coast of Africa; performed by His Majesty's sloop Favourite, in the year 1805 (London, 1807), facing p. 14
Researchers
Handler, Jerome; Tuite, Michael; Randall Ericson; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
18-Jan-11
Identifier
Spil01