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Anti-Slavery medallion
In the 18th century, as groups organized in Britain and the United States to abolish the transatlantic slave trade, Josiah Wedgwood borrowed from classical iconography for his design for a ceramic “cameo” for the British Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Black and white mass-produced ceramic medallions were distributed to members, who set them in women’s jewelry and men’s accessories as a highly visible indicator of one’s support for the abolitionist movement. The medallion reached an American audience in February 1788 when Wedgwood sent 500 cameos to Benjamin Franklin—then president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. The medallion became an abolitionist statement, but its eight words did not capture the nuances of the abolitionist movement: while both the British and American organizations sought to end the slave trade, they were not advocating an end to the practice of slavery entirely. More than 200 years later, Wedgwood’s medallion is an icon of the anti-slavery movement, even though that was not its original intention, and speaks to the communicative nature of jewelry.
Am I Not A Man and A Brother? medallion
Anti-Slavery medallion
Made at: Wedgwood Manufactory (Staffordshire, England, active 1759–present)
English
1786–87
Object Place: Europe, Staffordshire, England
Medium/Technique
Stoneware (Jasperware), gold
Dimensions
Overall: 30 x 28 x 3 mm (1 3/16 x 1 1/8 x 1/8 in.)
Height (with hanging loop): 38 mm (1 1/2 in.)
Height (with hanging loop): 38 mm (1 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Richard Baker
Accession Number96.779
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsCeramics – Pottery – Stoneware
Jewelry / Adornment – Pendants
Jewelry / Adornment – Pendants
In the 18th century, as groups organized in Britain and the United States to abolish the transatlantic slave trade, Josiah Wedgwood borrowed from classical iconography for his design for a ceramic “cameo” for the British Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Black and white mass-produced ceramic medallions were distributed to members, who set them in women’s jewelry and men’s accessories as a highly visible indicator of one’s support for the abolitionist movement. The medallion reached an American audience in February 1788 when Wedgwood sent 500 cameos to Benjamin Franklin—then president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. The medallion became an abolitionist statement, but its eight words did not capture the nuances of the abolitionist movement: while both the British and American organizations sought to end the slave trade, they were not advocating an end to the practice of slavery entirely. More than 200 years later, Wedgwood’s medallion is an icon of the anti-slavery movement, even though that was not its original intention, and speaks to the communicative nature of jewelry.
DescriptionJasper ware; figure of a kneeling slave in chains in black basalt with inscription in white relief around it in relief on a white ground, ""Am I not a Man and a Brother?". Mounted with gold wire frame around edge, and a hanging ring at the top.
Inscriptions"AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER?" around edge.
ProvenanceEllen M. (Mrs. Richard) Baker (b. 1827 - d. 1896), Boston; 1896, bequest of Mrs. Richard Baker to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 3, 1896)