Slave Sale, Richmond, Virginia, 1861
Caption, Dealers inspecting a Negro at a slave auction in Virginia. This illustration accompanies a detailed eyewitness description of slave sales in Richmond. The person shown here was to be auctioned, and some of the buyers . . . asked him a variety of questions, as to his last employment, state of his health, and so forth. Then they turned his head to the light, and lifted the corners of his eyes to ascertain if they were free from indications of disease; in the same way they examined his teeth. they did not do this in a harsh or brutal manner, but just the same as a doctor might examine a patient (pp. 139-140). A composite engraving, combining the image shown here with an auction block scene shown on this website ( auction_richd_1861) was published in the French publication L'illustration, Journal Universel (vol. 37 [1861], p. 148), misleadingly giving the impression that the scene is an original depiction of a slave sale in South Carolina; this illustration, in turn, appears on the Mary Evans Picture Library website with an unattributed source (picture no. 10044451).
Image Title
Slave Sale, Richmond, Virginia, 1861
RegID
SI-OB-729
Date
1861
Title
Slave Sale, Richmond, Virginia, 1861
Source
The Illustrated London News (Feb. 16, 1861), p. 138.
Language
English
Item sets
Slave Sales & Auctions: African Coast & the Americas
Spatial Coverage
North America--Virginia--Richmond
Reproduced In
The Illustrated London News (Feb. 16, 1861), p. 138.
Researchers
Handler, Jerome; Tuite, Michael; Randall Ericson; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
26-Jan-15
Identifier
NW0027