Custom
Engravings
Agitation
against slavery assumed a critical importance by the end of the 1850s.
Banks and engravers were very deliberate in portraying the importance of
African American slave labor to the economic development of the South and
the nation. Scenes of agricultural labor, dominated, including cotton,
tobacco, sugar cane, and turpentine. Images also reveal how slavery
influenced every aspect of daily life in the United States, including the
introduction of such dietary staples as sugar, rice, and poultry, as well
as such luxury items such as tobacco.
Banks and
engravers told a story of slavery that glorified, justified, and ratified
an inhumane institution. John W. Jones on the other hand, tells a story of
strong and indomitable character, the will to survive and carry on the
qualities brought from Africa. Look at how the artist uses light and color
to tell this story. Notice how the clothing of these noble people is
depicted in the colors of precious gems.
