Slave Auction, Richmond, Virginia, 1853
Shows a woman being auctioned in front of a crowd of white onlookers and bidders; other slaves to be auctioned in the background. This engraving was made from an eyewitness sketch by the English artist Eyre Crowe who observed the auction on March 3, 1853. This and another sketch (see image NW0278), Crowe reports, was took on the spot, and writes how the auctions take place in rooms on the ground floor. . . . Outside the doors are hung small garish flags of blood red, upon which are pinned small manuscript descriptions of the negroes to be disposed of . . . . . As you enter you see what we have endeavored to sketch . . . . an eye-bepatched and ruffianly-looking fellow in check trousers and grimy in every part of his person, with no hammer in his hand . . . [who] takes the swelling bids, . . . . with uplifted finger: he calls out the money bids up to 1200 dollars, which is generally the most a negro fetches (p. 314).
Image Title
Slave Auction, Richmond, Virginia, 1853
RegID
SI-OB-727
Date
1853
Title
Slave Auction, Richmond, Virginia, 1853
Source
The Illustrated London News (Sept. 27, 1856), vol. 29, p. 315.
Language
English
Item sets
Slave Sales & Auctions: African Coast & the Americas
Spatial Coverage
North America--Virginia--Richmond
Reproduced In
The Illustrated London News (Sept. 27, 1856), vol. 29, p. 315.
Researchers
Handler, Jerome; Tuite, Michael; Randall Ericson; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
26-Jan-15
Identifier
NW0276