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Slave market scene on the Kambia River, coast of Africa

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@ The Library Company of Philadelphia

Andrew & Filmer

Description

In the center of this busy, crowded scene, a European slave-trader examines the teeth of a male slave who is lying flat on the ground. Another European trader straddles the slave while negotiating with three African merchants. To the right, a well-dressed European merchant observes the inspection process. The open book near his elbow is most likely a ledger in which he will record his purchases. To the left of center, a European slave-trader brands a female slave while others wait their turn. With his back turned toward the viewer, an overseer in the left foreground watches the branding of the slaves. A large hatchet hangs from his belt, and he holds a metal instrument commonly used to restrain and punish slaves. In the left background, an African overseer whips a bound slave. A slave-ship at sea appears in the distant background.; Andrew & Filmer sc.; Fold-out frontispiece for Richard Drake's Revelations of a Slave Smuggler: Being the Autobiography of Capt. Rich'd Drake, an African Trader for Fifty-Years from 1807 to 1857; during which Period He Was Concerned in the Transportation of Half a Million Blacks from African Coast to America (New York: Robert M. De Witt, publisher, [c1860]).; Wood engraving after the 1840 painting entitled "The Slave Trade" by Auguste-Francois Biard.

Record Contributed By

The Library Company of Philadelphia

Record Harvested From

PA Digital