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This teacup contains harmful imagery including the image of an enslaved human being in chains.
Historic New England acknowledges historical records / objects may contain harmful imagery and language reflecting attitudes and biases of their creators and time in which they were made. Historic New England does not alter or edit objects and / or historical text.
DESCRIPTION
White body with a lobed rim; dark brown printed image of supplicant, enslaved person in chains near palm tree (taken from emblem of English Society for the Abolition of Slave Trade.) Squat lobed body, circular; scrolled feet; scrolled, lobed handle and spout.
teapots
porcelain
transfer printing
Vessel, Drink Serving
Teapot
Teapot
"Cherished Possessions": This teapot is part of a set that belonged to James Buffum, a Quaker from Lynn, Massachusetts. Buffum was an abolitionist who traveled to England on a speaking tour with Frederick Douglass, a former slave and a renowned author. The image on the teapot is from the insignia of the English Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, originally produced in 1787 by the ceramics factory of Josiah Wedgwood. Missing on this version is the inscription that usually encircles the insignia: "Am I not a man and a brother?"
Unknown
6 1/2 (H) (inches)
Gift of Alice and Emil Ahlborn
1961.168A
England (United Kingdom) [country]
Historic New England is committed to implementing reparative language description for existing collections and creating respectful and inclusive language description for new collections. If you encounter language in Historic England's Collections Access Portal that is harmful or offensive, or you find materials that would benefit from a content warning, please contact [email protected].
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