Anti-Slavery Medallion

Description Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), a potter and leading member of Great Britain's Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, had this medallion modeled by Hackwood to be produced in ceramic. It is inscribed: "Am I not a Man and a Brother." During the early 19th century, the medallion was mounted in a gold brooch. The image of the half-nude black kneeling in prayer was a popular image for abolitionists in both Great Britain and the United States.

Exhibitions

• At Freedom's Door: Challenging Slavery in Maryland. Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore. 2007.

Provenance Taylor B. Williams Antiques, Chicago [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1989, by purchase.

Inscriptions [Inscription] Am I not a Man and a Brother

Credit Museum purchase, 1989