‘Billy Waters’

‘Billy Waters’ England 1825-1835 Lead-glazed earthenware, with enamel decoration C.38-2002

Billy Waters was one of several black beggars and street entertainers in early 19th-century London who were immortalised in art and literature. Having served in the British navy, during which he lost a leg, he settled with his family in the London parish of St Giles. He supplemented his meagre pension by busking and begging, particularly outside the nearby Drury Lane Theatre. He was noted for his peg-leg and feathered hat, and is instantly recognisable in a print by George Cruikshank published in Pierce Egan's 'Life in London' (1821). This book was adapted as an operatic extravaganza by W. T. Moncrieff that was performed at the Adelphi Theatre in 1821. It included the character of Billy Waters. He, however, gained nothing from the publicity and died in the workhouse in 1823 at the age of 45. He had reputedly been elected 'King of the Beggars' shortly before his death. He was buried in the New Burial Ground, St Pancras church.

Images of Billy Waters fit into long-standing traditions both of representing sailors and buskers and street-sellers via prints of 'The Cries of London'. The inclusion of real-life black personalities in these images is a reflection of the presence of black people among the London poor. This is one of several ceramic figures of Waters, and one of two in the V&A Museum (see C.317-1916). Several versions of this particular model were made in Staffordshire in the 1820s, one of which can be attributed to the major manufacturer Enoch Wood of Burslem. The modelling of this example, however, is unusual in having an almost white face. This is probably because it was made in a small factory, whose modellers misinterpreted their uncoloured engraved print source. It could even have been made as late as 1836, when similar figures of Thomas Dartmouth Rice playing the black character 'Jim Crow' on the London stage became popular.

Sugar bowl and cover

Sugar bowl and cover England About 1770-1775 Porcelain, transfer-printed in black enamel Height 5 inches x Diameter 4 inches 3218&A-1901

A sugar bowl formed an essential part of English tea services from the 1700s. Tea began to be imported into Britain from the middle of the 17th century but remained a luxury item until import duties were abolished in 1784. English tea drinkers differed from their Chinese counterparts by preferring to drink tea hot with milk and sugar, the latter becoming increasingly available through West Indies sugar plantations which relied on the labour of African slaves.

'The Tea Party' engraving by Robert Hancock, which appears on this sugar bowl, is one of the most popular designs to have been used on 18th century English ceramics. It shows a couple drinking tea in a garden, often attended by a young black male servant who holds a kettle of hot water. A scene of a 'Maid and Page' on the side of the bowl shows a black boy carrying a kettle. About 10,000 Africans are estimated to have been living in 18th century England, most working as, often unpaid, domestic staff. For their affluent owners these African servants were status symbols who offered 'exotic associations' like the new beverage, tea.

Teapot

Teapot England About 1755 Porcelain, transfer-printed in red enamel Height 4.75 inches x Diameter 4.37 inches C.426-1920

Tea began to be imported into Britain from the middle of the 17th century but remained a luxury item until import duties were abolished in 1784. A fashionable and social drink, during the 18th century it was prepared in front of guests. English tea drinkers differed from their Chinese counterparts by preferring to drink tea hot and with milk and sugar, the latter becoming increasingly available through West Indies sugar plantations which relied on the labour of African slaves.

'The Tea Party' engraving by Robert Hancock, which appears on one side of this teapot, is one of the most popular designs to have been used on 18th century English ceramics. It shows a couple drinking tea in a garden, often attended by a young black male servant who pours hot water from a kettle into a teapot. About 10,000 Africans are estimated to have been living in 18th century England, many working as, often unpaid, domestic staff. For their affluent owners these African servants were status symbols who offered 'exotic associations' like the new beverage, tea.

‘Josephine Baker’

‘Josephine Baker’ England About 1930 Lampworked glass Height 19.2 cm x Width 11.2 com C.22-1995

Starting in Paris in the early 20th century, a passion for all things 'African' spread across Europe during the 1920s and 30s. This interest in Black culture found commercial success in the Art Deco style which frequently borrowed aspects of African design to create 'exotic' objects for European consumers.

In 1925 the African-American dancer Josephine Baker escaped the restrictions of the racially-divided United States to become a sensation in Paris. Her erotic dances and risqué costumes, which included a skirt made of bananas, found instant success amongst Parisian audiences enraptured with all things exotic, as too did her menagerie of pet animals which included Chiquita the cheetah. Baker became a design icon in her own right and appeared on many objects of the period. In this glass figure she is wearing her signature banana skirt.

Plaque

Plaque England 1933-1938 Sand-blasted glass Width 35.8 cm C.230-1991

Early 20th century Paris was gripped by a passion for all things 'African' and celebrated aspects of Black culture through music, art and design. This interest in the exotic contributed to the development of the design style known as Art Deco. Art Deco artists and designers were also influenced by the African objects which had begun to appear in European homes and exhibitions. They attempted to replicate aspects of African design through using bold colour palettes and strong abstract or geometric patterns.

The Art Deco style was picked up by artists and designers in Britain where this sand-blasted glass panel was produced. In its bold design of a silhouetted African woman in profile, alongside a simplified strand of foliage, the panel typifies many of the features associated with Art Deco. Modern manufacturing techniques, such as those pioneered by Pilkington Glass, the maker of this piece, made the design style accessible to a broader range of people.

‘Popular Tales’

‘Popular Tales’ England 1832 Engraving Length 44 cm x Width 35 cm 29187:23

Maria Edgeworth was born in Oxfordshire but spent most of her life in Ireland managing her father's estate. Like other women writers of the time she began by writing for her friends and family before she achieved publication, producing letters, stories to amuse her siblings and plays that the whole family could perform. Once she achieved publication all of her stories were written with a moral purpose.

Her Popular Tales were originally published in 1804 and included 'The Grateful Negro' which was set in Jamaica around the central drama of a slave rebellion. The story was informed by Bryan Edward's History of the British West Indies (1792). Edwards was a planter who sought the amelioration of slave conditions in preference to the more dramatic changes demanded by abolitionists which, he felt, would cause more harm than good. The central moral of 'The Grateful Negro' reveals that the planter who manages his estate in a humane way (Mr Edwards - pictured here trustingly lending his knife to Caesar, a black slave) escapes the rebellion unscathed while the bad planter, Mr Jeffries, narrowly escapes death and ends in penury. The story was published at a key moment in the slavery debate, just three years before the British trade in slaves was abolished.

‘An Emancipated Negro’

‘An Emancipated Negro’ England 1833 Engraving, coloured by hand Height 44.5 cm x Width 30 cm 1233:188-1882

George Cruikshank was the son of Isaac Cruikshank, a maker of satirical prints, in whose workshop George was producing signed work by the age of seven. He went on to become a prolific producer of caricatures, political and social satires and literary illustrations.

The 'golden age' of satirical printmaking, dominated by James Gillray (1756-1815), Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827) and Cruikshank (1792-1878), was between 1780 and 1830. This period coincided with the founding and development of the mass movements for the abolition of the slave trade and subsequent abolition of slavery within Britain's West Indies colonies. Unsurprisingly, then, slavery and abolitionism were themes addressed by many print satirists whose work featured black people in a number of social and political contexts.

In this print Cruikshank appears to support the claims of the pro-slavery lobby, which argued that abolition of the slave trade would spell disaster for Britain's West Indies colonies and for the enslaved African populations who worked the plantations and required the 'protection' of the colonisers. Cruikshank's image of 'An Emancipated Negro' shows an emaciated, white-haired, black African man, chasing a winged insect along the beach, a dagger in his right hand, crying out 'food!'.

‘The Negro Revenged’

‘The Negro Revenged’ England 1807 Engraving E.1201B-1886

This image by Henry Fuseli was produced both as an oil painting and as an engraving to accompany a book of poems by William Cowper. It was intended to illustrate one of the popular abolition ballads originally composed by Cowper in the spring of 1788. The ballad reflects a common belief that natural disasters which struck the land and seas around Britain's slave colonies were divine retribution for the human suffering caused by the slave trade. A stanza is printed below the image:

'Hark - He [God] answers. Wild tornadoes / Strewing yonder flood with wrecks, / Wasting Towns, Plantations, Meadows, / Are the voice in which he speaks.'

The portentous tone of the ballad is reflected in Fuseli's image: dark clouds swirl above a stormy sea where a flash of lightening illuminates the hull of a wrecked slave ship. In the foreground a standing black male figure in a loincloth raises his fists in triumph. His dark-skinned female companion, in a white dress, curls one arm around his waist, the other stretches out in a gesture of warning. This image of defiance is remarkable amongst the majority of those produced by the abolitionist movement which more typically depict black Africans as passive victims.

‘The Celebrated Graman Quacy’

‘The Celebrated Graman Quacy’ Great Britain 1796 Engaving Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215K-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by those who advocated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

Graman Quacy used his skills as a witch doctor to accumulate enough money to buy his freedom. At an audience with Prince Orange at The Hague he was rewarded for services to the Suriname community with a gold-laced coat, a feathered hat, a gold medal and a gold-headed cane, which feature in this illustration by Blake.

‘The Mecco and Kishee Kishee Monkeys’

‘The Mecco and Kishee Kishee Monkeys’ Great Britain 1796 Engaving Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215J-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by those who advocated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

This image by Blake of a group of monkeys in a tree - and a similar image 'The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys' (museum number E.1215B-1886) - stand out amongst Blake's illustrations for Stedman's Narrative; the majority of which take the activities of the slave population as their subject. It is possible that Blake may have intended the monkeys to have satirical intent.

‘The Skinning of the Aboma Snake, shot by Capt. Stedman’

‘The Skinning of the Aboma Snake, shot by Capt. Stedman’ Great Britain 1796 Engaving Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215I-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by those who advocated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

This image by Blake shows a black slave - 'the negro David' - climbing up a huge boa constrictor in order to begin skinning the snake. The figure in the lower left is probably Stedman.

‘Family of Negro Slaves from Loango’

‘Family of Negro Slaves from Loango’ Great Britain 1796 Engraving and etching Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215H-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by thosw who advocated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition. This image reflects Stedman's ambivalence towards slavery by offering the reader the possibility of a slave family in a 'state of tranquil happiness, which they always enjoy under a humane and indulgent master'.

‘A Coromantyn Free Negro, or Ranger, armed’

‘A Coromantyn Free Negro, or Ranger, armed’ Great Britain 1796 Engraving and etching on paper Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215G-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by those who advocated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

Stedman's account describes the colony's dependence on black soldiers, or 'rangers', selected from the slave population and offered their freedom in exchange for their help in crushing the maroons. Stedman's respect for the bravery of these soldiers is reflected in Blake's image.

‘Europe supported by Africa and America’

‘Europe supported by Africa and America’ Great Britain 1796 E.1215F-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by abolitionists, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

This allegorical image is in the tradition of 'The Four Continents', in which the continents are depicted as female figures. Blake, the abolitionist, has included gold arm bands on the arms of Africa and America to symbolise their enslavement to the central figure of Europe. However, the fact that Europe is being physically supported by her companions suggests the possibility of a more equitable relationship.

‘Group of Negroes, as imported to be sold for slaves’

‘Group of Negroes, as imported to be sold for slaves’ Great Britain 1796 Engraving and etching on paper Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215E-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by those who advocated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

In the Narrative Stedman encounters a group of Africans travelling to be sold as slaves whom he describes as 'walking skeletons covered over with a piece of tanned leather'. However, Blake's image of a lively group sits at odds with Stedman's vision of this 'sad assemblage of my fellow-creatures'.

‘Flagellation of a Female Samboe Slave’

‘Flagellation of a Female Samboe Slave’ Great Britain 1796 Engraving and etching on paper Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215D-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by those who advocated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

This sexualised and sadistic image of a female slave being whipped became a key element in the visual vocabulary of British abolitionism. Blake's bold graphic design, in which the slave is an isolated figure in the foreground, framed by the tree to which her hands are tied, led to the illustration being frequently reproduced in anti-slavery tracts.

‘A private Marine of Col. Fourgeoud's Corps’

‘A private Marine of Col. Fourgeoud's Corps’ Great Britain 1796 Engraving Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215C-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by those who advocated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

Colonel Fourgeoud was Stedman's commanding officer. Stedman found him an incompetent and callous leader but passages expressing his anger and contempt towards Fourgeoud were edited out of the Narrative.

‘The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys’

‘The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys’ Great Britain 1796 Engraving and etching on paper Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215B-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by those who advoated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

This image by Blake of a group of monkeys in a tree - and a similar image 'The Mecco and Kishee Kishee Monkeys' (museum number E.1215J-1886) - stand out amongst Blake's illustrations for Stedman's Narrative; the majority of which take the activities of the slave population as their subject. It is possible that Blake may have intended the monkeys to have satirical intent.

‘A Negro hung alive by the ribs to a gallows’

‘A Negro hung alive by the ribs to a gallows’ Great Britain 1796 Engraving and etching on paper Height 19.4 cm x Width 14.3 cm E.1215A-1886

The Dutch captured the British colony of Suriname during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667). Under the West India Company it was developed as a plantation slave society and became a primary destination for the Dutch slave trade. The brutal regime caused high mortality; despite the import of 300,000 slaves between 1668 and 1823, the population never grew beyond 50,000. 'Maroonage' became the major form of resistance. Fugitive slaves, or 'maroons', escaped inland to form permanent communities from where they waged a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Dutch.

In 1774 the Scottish-Dutch soldier John Gabriel Stedman witnessed the brutal oppression of slaves during a campaign against the maroons, which he described in his Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The book, which included illustrations by William Blake, was adopted by those who advocated the abolition of the slave trade, though Stedman was thought to support reform rather than abolition.

This gruesome image by Blake shows a slave suspended to a gallows by means of a hook through his ribs. Stedman's Narrative recounts that the slave was left to die slowly but did so without complaint. His stoicism underlines the horror of the scene, heightened further by the skulls and the slave ship just visible on the horizon.

‘Uncle Tom's Cabin / The Death of Little Eva’

‘Uncle Tom's Cabin / The Death of Little Eva’ England About 1905 Colour lithograph Length 75 cm x Width 50.7 cm E.146-1935

Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, which tells the story of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering African American slave, was first published in serial form in 1851. It went on to become the best-selling book of the 19th century, becoming known to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic through the publication itself and its many 'spin-offs', which included illustrated song sheets, theatre productions, ceramic figures and even wallpaper designs.

This poster was made to promote a theatre production of around 1905. It depicts a scene from the novel in which Eva, a white girl whom Tom had rescued from drowning before being bought to work on her family's plantation, experiences a vision of heaven at death. Her vision leads those around her to resolve to change their lives. Eva's father promises to free Tom but is killed before being able to do so and Tom is sold to a vicious plantation owner.

Uncle Tom's Cabin is often credited as a driving force behind America's anti-slavery movement. However it also contributed to the negative stereotyping of black people, particularly in the character of Uncle Tom who passively accepts his fate.

‘Uncle Tom's Cabin’

‘Uncle Tom's Cabin’ England 1852 Process print using wood-engraving and etching Height 46.5 cmm x Width 37 cm 9442

The design for this advertising broadside was created by the satirical print maker George Cruikshank and engraved by John Thompson. Cruikshank was engaged by the publishing entrepreneur John Cassell to produce a series of illustrations for a pirated edition of the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and to spearhead its publicity campaign. The novel, which tells the story of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering African American slave, was first published in serial form in 1851 and became the best-selling book of the 19th century. The edition illustrated by Cruikshank was one of the most popular and long-lived.

Uncle Tom's Cabin is often credited as a driving force behind America's anti-slavery movement. However, the influence of popular contemporary theories of scientific racism is evident in the way in which characters in the book are reduced by both novelist and illustrator to racial 'types'. The character of Uncle Tom, in particular, who passively accepts his fate, contributed to the negative stereotyping of black people.

‘The West India Flower Girl’

‘The West India Flower Girl’ France About 1800 Stipple engraving Height 32.6 cm x Width 25.7 cm E.22397:72-1957

Much as other European artists sought to capture the details of the flora and fauna of new territorial possessions in the 18th century, so the Italian artist Agostino Brunias sought to record the manners and customs of the inhabitants of the West Indies. Brunias was born in Rome in 1730. Whilst working in England for the architect Robert Adam as a draughtsman and decorative artist, Brunias met William Young who, in 1764, was nominated the first Commissioner and Receiver for sale of lands in the ceded (from France) West Indies islands of Dominica, St Vincent, Grenada and Tobago. Brunias agreed to accompany Young to the West Indies as his personal artist.

Brunias spent seven years in the West Indies creating romantic genre scenes of markets, village and harbour scenes. Brunias's treatment of his human subjects reflects that of artists recording natural history specimens: every aspect of dress and accessory is captured in exhaustive detail yet the figures appear as 'types' rather than individuals. Dress is used as the marker of particular colonial identities encountered on the islands: Carib, Black Carib, mulatto, slave, freedman, and planter. Brunias's romanticised images of island life, which denied the harsh realities of plantation slavery, were popular with members of the white plantocracy, both in the West Indies and in Britain. This image is an engraved copy by the French artist Louis Charles Ruotte.

‘A Lady going to Visit’

‘A Lady going to Visit’ England 1817 Aquatint Height 14.4 cm x Width 22.7 cm 19409

This aquatint entered the collections of the V&A Museum as part of a group of 'illustrations of carriages' in 1860. It depicts a white woman being carried in a sedan chair by two black liveried servants. The party is led by a young black man, similarly wearing livery. The setting is a street scene, probably a town or city in Brazil. Brazil imported more enslaved African people than any other colony in the Americas. Unlike other colonies where most Africans were confined to manual labour on plantations, in Brazil many worked in urban occupations, including as domestic servants.

Images of the New World became available to the European public through the publication of travel narratives by Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch explorers from the 16th century. Many were accompanied by illustrations, often based on first hand observations. Hugely popular, these illustrations were widely copied during the 17th and 18th centuries.

‘Illustration of Carriages’

‘Illustration of Carriages’ England About 1800-1850 Engraving, etching and aquatint on paper Height 17.2 cmm x Width 13.4 cm 19413

This print entered the collections of the V&A Museum as part of a group of 'illustrations of carriages' in 1860. It illustrates three forms of carriage: the top image is of an open sedan chair in which a white man sits, carried on a long pole by four black bearers; the middle image is of a covered sedan chair, carried on a pole by two men; and the third is of a white woman reclining in a hammock slung to a pole carried by two men.

Images such as this of the New World became available to the European public through the publication of travel narratives by Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch explorers from the 16th century. Many were accompanied by illustrations, often based on first hand observations. Hugely popular, these illustrations were widely copied during the 17th and 18th centuries.

‘A Planter and his Wife on a Journey’

‘A Planter and his Wife on a Journey’ 1817 Aquatint Height 14 cm x Width 22.3 cm 19410

This aquatint entered the collections of the V&A Museum as part of a group of 'illustrations of carriages' in 1860. It depicts a white planter on horseback followed by a black woman who carries a large disk-shaped container on her head and by two black men who carry an elaborate sedan chair, in which the planter's wife is conveyed, by means of a pole across their shoulders. The print is one of a number which depict slavery in Brazil. Brazil imported more enslaved African people than any other colony in the Americas. Unlike other colonies where most Africans were confined to manual labour on plantations, in Brazil many worked in other occupations, including as domestic servants.

Images of the New World became available to the European public through the publication of travel narratives by Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch explorers from the 16th century. Many were accompanied by illustrations, often based on first hand observations. Hugely popular, these illustrations were widely copied during the 17th and 18th centuries.

‘A Brazilian Sedan Chair and a person begging for the Church’

‘A Brazilian Sedan Chair and a person begging for the Church’ England About 1820 Lithograph Height 17.9 cm x Width 21.6 cm 19420

This print entered the collections of the V&A Museum as part of a group of 'illustrations of carriages' in 1860. It depicts a white woman carried in an elaborate sedan chair by two black liveried servants. The party pauses as a man approaches seeking donations for the church. The setting is a street scene, probably a town or city in Brazil. Brazil imported more enslaved African people than any other colony in the Americas. Unlike other colonies where most Africans were confined to manual labour on plantations, in Brazil many worked in urban occupations, including as domestic servants.

Images of the New World became available to the European public through the publication of travel narratives by Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch explorers from the 16th century. Many were accompanied by illustrations, often based on first hand observations. Hugely popular, these illustrations were widely copied during the 17th and 18th centuries.

‘Way of Carriage and Travelling in Kongo, from De Bry’

‘Way of Carriage and Travelling in Kongo, from De Bry’ England 1750-1800 Etching and engraving on paper Height 24.7 cm 19419

This print is based on an engraving by Theodor de Bry. De Bry was a Frankfurt goldsmith, engraver, print-seller and bookseller who chronicled many of the earliest European expeditions to the Americas. Beginning in 1590, de Bry and his sons brought out a series of translations of accounts of the New World from Spanish, French, English, Italian and Dutch sources. Each volume was accompanied by detailed graphic illustrations of indigenous customs, culture, warfare and historical events. Many were based on first hand observations making them a rare visual record of early contact between Europeans and the inhabitants of the New World. After de Bry's death the series was extended to include voyages to Africa and Asia.

The de Bry series offered an eager European public an early glimpse of distant lands. The illustrations were hugely popular and were widely copied during the 17th and 18th centuries. This engraving appears to have been made by James Basire (1730-1802), a member of a London-based family of engravers, who served both as Engraver to the Society of Antiquaries and Engraver to the Royal Society.

‘The Manner of Travelling as practiced by the people of Congo in Africa’

‘The Manner of Travelling as practiced by the people of Congo in Africa’ 17th century-18th century Engraving Height 13.7 cm x Width 18 cm E.988-1886

This print is probably based on an engraving by Theodor de Bry. De Bry was a Frankfurt goldsmith, engraver, print-seller and bookseller who chronicled many of the earliest European expeditions to the Americas. Beginning in 1590, de Bry and his sons brought out a series of translations of accounts of the New World from Spanish, French, English, Italian and Dutch sources. Each volume was accompanied by detailed graphic illustrations of indigenous customs, culture, warfare and historical events. Many were based on first hand observations making them a rare visual record of early contact between Europeans and the inhabitants of the New World. After de Bry's death the series was extended to include voyages to Africa and Asia.

The de Bry series offered an eager European public an early glimpse of distant lands and 'exotic' people. The illustrations, which were hugely popular, were widely copied during the 17th and 18th centuries.

‘Different ways of Carriage & Travelling in Congo’

‘Different ways of Carriage & Travelling in Congo’ Late 18th century Engraving Height 17.9 cm Width 27 cm E.989-1886

This print is based on an engraving by Theodor de Bry. De Bry was a Frankfurt goldsmith, engraver, print-seller and bookseller who chronicled many of the earliest European expeditions to the Americas. Beginning in 1590, de Bry and his sons brought out a series of translations of accounts of the New World from Spanish, French, English, Italian and Dutch sources. Each volume was accompanied by detailed graphic illustrations of indigenous customs, culture, warfare and historical events. Many were based on first hand observations making them a rare visual record of early contact between Europeans and the inhabitants of the New World. After de Bry's death the series was extended to include voyages to Africa and Asia.

The de Bry series offered an eager European public an early glimpse of distant lands and 'exotic' people. The illustrations, which were hugely popular, were widely copied during the 17th and 18th centuries.

‘Boa Vista’

‘Boa Vista’ Netherlands About 1680 Engraving Height 14.4 cm x Width 18.7 cm 25001:21

This engraving is by the Amsterdam publisher, engraver, globe-maker and art dealer, Johannes de Ram. De Ram was best known for his maps and atlases, some of which were issued using the maps of other geographers, some of which were prepared by himself. Similarly his engravings were informed by the accounts of early European explorers to Africa and the New World.

The Dutch were slow to develop trading interests in Africa but, following a series of conflicts with Portugal, gained possession of a number of slave depots on the West African coast. Responding to a labour shortage in the newly conquered sugar plantations of northern Brazil in 1630 the Dutch slave trade took off and by 1650 thirty thousand slaves had been dispatched to Brazil from West Africa.

The engraving depicts a scene on Boa Vista, an island in the Cape Verde archipelago, a historic centre for the slave trade. A white trader has just paid his black assistant, presumably for his help in securing the pile of ivory horns which lie on the ground before them and the shackled Africans emerging from a cave-like prison to the right of the image. In the background there is a curiously northern-European-looking port scene and a slave ship.

‘Abinne Lansche Africanne’

‘Abinne Lansche Africanne’ Netherlands 1650-1700 Engraving Height 14 cm x Width 18.7 cm 25001:27

This engraving is by the Amsterdam publisher, engraver, globe-maker and art dealer, Johannes de Ram (1648-93). De Ram was best known for his maps and atlases, some of which were issued using the maps of other geographers, and some of which he prepared himself. Similarly his engravings were informed by the accounts of early European explorers to Africa and the New World.

The Dutch were slow to develop trading interests in Africa but, following a series of conflicts with Portugal, gained possession of a number of slave depots on the West African coast. Responding to a labour shortage in the newly conquered sugar plantations of northern Brazil in 1630 the Dutch slave trade took off and by 1650 thirty thousand slaves had been dispatched to Brazil from West Africa.

European support for the transatlantic slave trade relied on a popular perception of African people as primitive savages. This engraving by de Ram appears to endorse this perception by depicting two swarthy black men wearing animal furs. One kneels by a fire above which a severed white human leg roasts on a spit. The other carries another leg across his shoulder.

Membership card, Annual parliaments and universal suffrage. Justice and Equality of Rights. Corresponding Society

Membership card, Annual parliaments and universal suffrage. Justice and Equality of Rights. Corresponding Society England 1797 Engraving Length 7.6 cm x Height 12.2 cm 29692:95

Corresponding societies began to appear in Britain in the late 18th century as part of a movement for political reform which sought to increase the number of people holding the right to vote. They aimed to engage the public in issues of parliamentary reform through publishing and distributing democratic propaganda and through educational programmes including public meetings, itinerant speakers and discussions.

The societies addressed many of the political issues of the day as part of a wider debate on civil society, political rights, the political nation and public sphere. This Universal Suffrage Corresponding Society membership card of 1797 addresses the topical issue of slavery. In the background a white man leads a black man away from his wife and child. In the foreground three white figures express their consternation: 'O Heavens! Can Christians Traffic in human Blood?', 'Tremble Tyrants! Shiver to Atoms the Chains of Despotism', 'O Liberty! O my Country'.

‘Master James Crow’

‘Master James Crow’ England 1840 Lithograph Height 55.9 cm x Width 40.6 cm E.332-1901

Winsome children humorously aping the manners of adults were a popular subject for genre scenes. In the 1830s the artist William Henry Hunt exhibited a series of twenty such images at the Old Water-Colour Society in London. These were later produced as lithographs and published as Hunt's Comic Sketches (1844). The series included two images of black children. This image, which was originally exhibited as 'Jim Crow' but re-titled 'Master James Crow - Out of his Element', and a companion piece 'Miss Jem-ima Crow', re-titled 'Miss Jim-Ima Crow - A West Indian Cinderella' (museum number E.333-1901).

Both works appear to have been painted from living models who have been posed with studio props to suggest a narrative. James Crow (whose name references 'Jim Crow' the comic blackface act first seen in London in 1836) is 'out of his element', i.e. away from the heat of his supposed homeland, and has to warm himself in front of the stove. Tending the fire was a common duty of black domestic servants in British homes, many of whom were boys or young men.

‘Miss Jim-Ima Crow’

‘Miss Jim-Ima Crow’ England 1840 Lithograph Height 55.9 cm x Width 40.6 cm E.333-1901

Winsome children humorously aping the manners of adults were a popular subject for genre scenes. In the 1830s the artist William Henry Hunt exhibited a series of twenty such images at the Old Water-Colour Society in London. These were later produced as lithographs and published as Hunt's Comic Sketches (1844). The series included two images of black children. This image, which was originally exhibited as 'Miss Jem-ima Crow' but re-titled 'Miss Jim-Ima Crow - A West Indian Cinderella', and a companion piece 'Jim Crow', re-titled 'Master James Crow - Out of his Element' (museum number E.332-1901).

Both works appear to have been painted from living models who have been posed with studio props to suggest a narrative. Jim-Ima Crow (whose name references 'Jim Crow' the comic blackface act first seen in London in 1836, pictured on a poster above Jim-Ima here) kneels by the hearth, bellows in hand, tending the fire and the coffee pot. Like Jim-Ima, coffee was another form of colonial export.

‘A Rake's Progress’

‘A Rake's Progress’ England 1735 Etching and engraving Height 35.5 cm x Width 41 cm E.1267-1990

The artist William Hogarth, like many of his contemporaries, was critical of those newly-monied British subjects who acquired wealth through transatlantic trade. In the 1735 series of eight engravings entitled A Rake's Progress he documents the decline of young Tom Rakewell, heir to a fortune which, in plate one, is shown to be largely derived from 'India bonds', referring to East or West Indies trade. Over the course of the series we see the young aristocrat fall from grace, to become - in plate eight - an inmate of Bedlam.

In this scene, plate three, Hogarth follows two previous pictures of fashionable 'high society' with an image of its seedy underbelly. Rakewell is shown amongst a riotous group of pleasure-seekers enjoying all-night entertainment in a private room. Very drunk, he appears oblivious to the fact that the woman seducing him is also stealing his watch. A black woman in the background is an amused spectator to the chaotic scene. Her presence underlines the 'savagery' - a quality then associated by Europeans with black Africans - of 'civilised' English society.

‘A Harlot's Progress’

‘A Harlot's Progress’ England 1732 Etching and engraving on paper Height 31 cm x Width 38 cm F.118:37

William Hogarth, like many of his contemporaries, was critical of those who derived their wealth from transatlantic trade, and also of the fashion for transatlantic commodities. He used his skills as an artist and printmaker to satirise the moral weakness which he saw in those who consumed these 'foreign' goods and to expose the levels of exploitation at work in London, then trading capital of the world. Often he used black figures in his images as rhetorical devices to underline the lack of 'civilisation' amongst those apparently responsible for spreading it throughout the colonised world.

In this image, plate two from a series of six prints depicting A Harlot's Progress, the figure of the young black page highlights the moral decline of 'Hackabout Moll', the simple country girl drawn into prostitution following her arrival in the city. Here, she is surprised with her lover by her wealthy Jewish master and attempts to cause a distraction by knocking over a table of tea things. The presence of the monkey, the tea things, the mahogany table and the turbaned black page all point to the colonial source of the merchant's wealth and to the overriding theme of exploitation. The upright pose of the page and his widened eyes invite us to consider this scene of immorality from his perspective.

‘A Harlot's Progress’

‘A Harlot's Progress’ England 1732 Etching and engraving on paper Height 31.5 cm x Width 38.5 cm F.118:39

In a 1732 series of prints, A Harlot's Progress, William Hogarth highlights the moral weakness and systems of exploitation that he saw at work in 18th-century English society. The series of six images tells the story of 'Hackabout Moll', the simple country girl drawn into prostitution following her arrival in the city. In this image - plate four - Moll is in London's Bridewell prison, being punished by being forced to beat hemp to make rope. She wears much finer clothes than the other female prisoners (Hogarth may have drawn on a contemporary newspaper report of a prostitute in prison 'beating hemp in a gown very richly laced with silver'), for which she is ridiculed by a woman - another prisoner or the gaoler's wife - standing over her.

Next to the harlot is a well-dressed older man. The playing-cards on the ground indicate that he has lost his money through gambling. In the background is a black woman beating hemp. Her presence in the picture may be intended as a reminder that at this time prostitutes in Britain could face transportation to the colonies as punishment.

‘Kitchin Stuff’

‘Kitchin Stuff’ England 1810 Etching coloured by hand Height 34.7 cm x Width 24.3 cm E.1240-1990

From the hand-colouring on this print we can tell that the male servant shown here is meant to be black. According to a book by Peter Fryer published in 1984, 'Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain', the majority of the 10,000 or so black people who lived in Britain in the 18th century were household servants. In 1731 the Lord Mayor of London had issued a proclamation banning any black person from becoming an apprentice in the City of London.

Trade card

Trade card England About 1830 Engraving, ink on paper Height 6.1 cm x Length 9,2 cm E.331-1967

Tea from China became available in England in the late 17th century. Initially, its cost and rarity made it a fashionable drink for the wealthy but over the course of the 18th century its increasing availability saw it enjoyed by the population at large. Chinese tea was always accompanied by sugar imported from Britain's colonies in the West Indies where it was produced by enslaved African workers. Campaigns to end Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade included boycotts of West Indies-produced sugar.

This trade card was printed to publicise the services of Mowbray & Son, a 'genuine tea dealers and grocers' and importer of 'spices, fish sauces and pickles' which had an outlet on Newport High Street. Trade cards were a popular form of advertisement and the designer of this card has emphasised the exotic associations of the tropical commodities sold by Mowbray's. In the foreground of the image sits a man in a form of Chinese dress on a crate with a Chinese pagoda and a sailing ship visible behind him. To the left, a black man dressed only in a loincloth rolls a barrel or 'hogshead' of the kind used to transport colonial goods such as unprocessed sugar and tobacco along a beach. The scene is fringed with palm trees.

‘A Native of Sierra Leone’

‘A Native of Sierra Leone’ About 1900-1905 Drypoint Height 15.9 cm x Width 12.8 cm RCAL.834-1916

Nathaniel Sparks was an etcher and watercolorist of landscape and figure subjects. Born in Bristol in 1880, he first studied at Bristol Government School of Art before continuing his art training at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. This figure study was created while Sparks was a student at the RCA and was chosen by him as his entrance piece to the Royal Society of Painters, Etchers and Engravers in 1905. It was one of a large group of student works presented to the V&A by the RCA in 1916.

The subject is a young black man, described in the title as 'A Native of Sierra Leone'. Black models were regularly used by British artists as accurately rendering African features and skin colour was considered evidence of artistic talent. The RCA probably employed black models for its students as London was home to a considerable black population by this time.Sparks's image appears to faithfully capture the physical appearance of the model yet the model's identity has not been recorded. Set against a blank background and wearing a loose drapery, the subject has been removed from any identifiable time or place.

‘Adoration of the Magi’

‘Adoration of the Magi’ Belgium About 1500 Carved oak, painted and gilded, with gilded lead tracery and tin rosettes, glass beads and stamped paper backgrounds 3264-1856

This altarpiece is dedicated to the Adoration of the Magi. These are the three wise men or kings who came to Bethlehem when Jesus was born.The scene is presented on a raised plinth decorated with five lead stars. The eldest king kneels in the centre and presents the Christ Child with a covered cap. He is traditionally identified as Caspar. His hat lies on the floor in front of the Virgin.

On the left wing the second king Melchior is shown holding his hat in his right hand and a covered goblet in his left. On the right the third king, Balthasar, holds a gold ciborium (a type of vessel) in both hands Two pairs of small holes in the back board show the position of details that are now missing. These may have been a lamp and a flask.

‘Adoration of the Magi’

‘Adoration of the Magi’ England Second half 15th century Carved, painted and gilt alabaster Height 41.5 cm x Width 25.8 cm A.39-1946

The familiar scene of the Adoration of the Magi is depicted here. The panel would have formed part of an altarpiece - a panel showing the Coronation of the Virgin also in the V&A (Museum no. A.35-1946) appears to have come from the same object. This combination of subjects would indicate that the altarpiece was devoted to the Joys of the Virgin. This was a popular subject, seen also in the Swansea Altarpiece (Museum no. A.89-1919), which contains an Adoration of the Magi which is not dissimilar to this example, though the composition is flipped over into a mirror image.

The three kings are traditionally depicted. The custom of showing one of the kings as black spread throughout Europe from Bohemia from the 14th century onwards, in representations in various media from woodcuts and paintings to wood carvings and manuscript illustrations. The Adoration of the Magi was also a popular subject in alabaster - over 100 examples survive.

The panel was bought in Spain, and donated to the museum. Many English alabaster panels appeared in Spain during the19th and 20th centuries, and it is likely that they were either exported to Spanish patrons immediately they were made, or sold on to Catholic churches in Spain after the Reformation in England in the mid 16nth century.

‘Leaf from the Giltlingen Missal’

‘Leaf from the Giltlingen Missal’ Germany About 1485-1489 Water-based pigments, gilding and ink on parchment Height 350 mm x Width 260 mm 274.2

Conrad Wagner, who illuminated this page, was among the brethren of the rich monastery of Saints Afra and Ulrich in Augsburg. The chronicle of the abbey describes him as 'bonus illuminista' and as 'diversis artibus...instructus' ('a good illuminator', skilful in many arts'). He was said to have produced several books, including this missal for Johann von Giltlingen, who was abbot of the monastery between 1482 and 1496.

A missal was a service book containing texts necessary for the performance of the Mass. This missal was a sumptuous manuscript, clearly not produced under constraints of time and expense. The border has a ground of burnished gold on which are conventional sprays of acanthus and stylized flowers in rich blues, reds, ochres and greens. The initial contains a scene showing the three kings (or Magi) presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh at the birth of the infant Jesus. The scene, known as the 'Adoration of the Kings', is one of the iconic images of the life of Jesus. In various examples of the 15th century and later, one of the kings is often shown as a black African ruler. In this image he carries a horn, the usual vessel for frankincense, which represents divinity. Gold and myrrh represent kingship and death. These goods were all part of the ancient trade with Arabia and Africa.

Untitled

Untitled 1899 Albumen print mounted on glass Height 8.3 cm x Width 17.3 cm E.1557-1992

Object Type
A stereograph is a pair of photographic images of the same subject taken from slightly different angles. This gives the illusion of a single three-dimensional image when viewed through a stereoscope designed to hold it.

Ownership & Use
Stereographs were mass-produced. Viewing them was a popular amusement carried out in the home from the 1850s until the early 20th century.

Subjects Depicted
A printed caption on the reverse of this stereograph reads:

'We notice in this view the present and the remote past, the baby and the giant of the desert. In the foreground, a little camel baby is getting her early breakfast. Camel milk is even used by the people of the desert. At certain seasons of the year, it is the only thing they drink. ... In the background stands the second pyramid of the Gizeh (Giza) field. This pyramid is easily distinguished from all the rest, because it still posses the top of its casing, while in the others the casing has entirely fallen away. Below it we see the Sphinx which for centuries has been the riddle of mankind... This view shows how the sand of the desert is drifting around the ancient ruins and tends to cover up these remnants of a past civilization.'

‘Sphinx’

‘Sphinx’ Egypt 1858 Albumen print from collodion-on-glass negative Height 38.5 cm x Width 49.2 cm PH.744-1987

Francis Frith became a photographer in 1856 and in that year embarked on his first tour of Egypt, returning during the following two years. In 1858 his images were published to wide critical acclaim. Frith used wet collodion-on-glass negatives, which were introduced in 1851. Collodion is a light-sensitive solution of ether and guncotton (cotton steeped in nitric and sulphuric acids). It was poured onto glass pates and had to be exposed in the camera while still wet. This process yielded a high level of detail in the image. However, using wet plates proved difficult in the intense heat of Egypt. This photograph was produced from one of Frith's largest negatives (40.6 x 50.8 cm) and captures the monumentality of the Egyptian landscape and architecture, the dramatic light and its play on sand and stone.

‘Gizeh: Excavated temple at the foot of the Sphinx’

‘Gizeh: Excavated temple at the foot of the Sphinx’ Egypt 1860-1862 Albumen print from a collodion-on-glass negative 53:654

‘Africa’

‘Africa’ Germany 1732 Engraving on paper Height 27.7 cm x Width 32.4 cm 26333:3

This engraving representing Africa is one of a set showing it, along with Europe, Asia and America, as female figures. It was engraved by Johann Justin Preissler after Edmé Bouchardon. The engravings correspond to descriptions in Cesare Ripa's Iconologia, an illustrated dictionary of abstract concepts widely used by artists from the early 1600s.

Here, Africa carries distinguishing symbols of her continent: she wears a coral necklace and an elephant headdress; carries a palm tree and a scorpion; and is accompanied by a lion and a knot of snakes.

Portrait of Prince Álámáyou

Portrait of Prince Álámáyou England July 1868 Height 10.5 cm x Width 6.3 cm E.1457-2000

This is a photograph of seven year old Prince Dejátch Álámáyou (1861-1879) taken on the Isle of Wight. Álámáyou was the son of the Emperor of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). He was orphaned in early 1868 and, according to his father's dying wish, taken to England by the British army. While staying on the Isle of Wight he was introduced to Queen Victoria, whose family spent summers on the island. This photograph was taken at her home, Osborne House. Alamayou's name is not written on the mount, but the words 'Osborne, July 1868' are inscribed on the back. This, together with comparisons with other known portraits, leaves us in no doubt that it is the young prince.

‘Great Pyramid and the Sphinx: A Series of Twenty Photographic Views by Francis Frith with descriptions by Mrs Poole and Reginald Stuart Poole’

‘Great Pyramid and the Sphinx: A Series of Twenty Photographic Views by Francis Frith with descriptions by Mrs Poole and Reginald Stuart Poole’ Egypt 1858 Albumen print from wet collodion negative PH.18-1983

‘The British Empire’

‘The British Empire’ 1887 Roller printed cotton Length 79.5 cm x Width 36 cm CIRC.837-1967

This roller printed cotton was designed in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, by Walter Crane for Messrs. Edmund Potter & Co. Female figures in Classical dress represent the different countries of the British Empire at the time, each one carrying an attribute of her nation. A globe with the helmet of Britannia resting on it is shown in the upper section of the fabric. It was described by contemporaries as 'a kind of apotheosis of the British Empire expressed in a figurative way'.

Walter Crane was a founder member and first president of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society. He was one of the best known and most versatile artists and designers of his generation and designed tapestries, carpets and woven and printed fabric amongst many other types of object. He also worked as a painter and book illustrator. The main impetus for using motifs of figures like the ones in this fabric came from the rise in popularity of book illustration, particularly those done for children's books.

Costume design

Costume design England About 1946 Charcoal, pencil, gouache, paint, watercolour on paper Height 50.2 cm x Width 38.1 cm S.463-2006

Great Britain's leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel's traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.

The Sleeping Beauty, first performed by the Sadler's Wells (now Royal) Ballet in 1946, is Messel's most enduring production in Great Britain. He designed over one thousand costumes for the many revivals of this production between 1946 and 1970. The fanciful costumes and sets are inspired by the work of artists and stage designers of the 17th and 18th centuries.

A characteristically colourful costume for a Negro Page in clashing colours. Messel flamboyant designs provided a lavish spectacle for post-war audiences. In his reworking of Messel's designs for the Royal Ballet in 2006, Peter Farmer toned down the strong colours of Messel's costumes.

Costume design

Costume design England About 1947 Charcoal, pencil, gouache, paint, watercolour on paper Height 50.8 cm x Width 37.9 cm S.469-2006

Great Britain's leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel's traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.

The Sleeping Beauty, first performed by the Sadler's Wells (now Royal) Ballet in 1946, is Messel's most enduring production in Great Britain. He designed over one thousand costumes for the many revivals of this production between 1946 and 1970. The fanciful costumes and sets are inspired by the work of artists and stage designers of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Due to post war rationing, Messel found materials scarce and had to make use of unusual materials to create a lavish effect. His notes for the Standard Bearer's costume reveal that he painted canvas to look like decorated calico for the tunic, and used dyed fox fur on the lapels.

Mask

Mask England 1920-1929 Height 27 cm x Width 18 cm x Depth 15 cm S.243-2006

Great Britain's leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel's traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.

Messel's career as a theatre designer began with a prestigious commission to make 'masks and symbols' for a Diaghilev Ballet production, Zéphyre et Flore, in 1925. The masks were exhibited at the Claridge Gallery and attracted the interest of C. B. Cochran (1872-1951), the theatre impressario. He commissioned Messel to make masks for his revues from 1926 onward, and subsequently asked him to design costumes and sets. Messel also designed masks for private commissions and as interior decoration.

This mask may have featured in one of Messel's Cochran productions during the 1920s. The design was inspired by documentary photographs rather than African art. Inventively, he has modelled the hair using plasticine affixed to the papier mâché head.

Mask

Mask England About 1920 Height 23 cm x Width 14 cm x Depth 14 cm S.242-2006

Great Britain's leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel's traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.

Messel's career as a theatre designer began with a prestigious commission to make 'masks and symbols' for a Diaghilev Ballet production, Zéphyre et Flore, in 1925. The masks were exhibited at the Claridge Gallery and attracted the interest of C. B. Cochran (1872-1951), the theatre impressario. He commissioned Messel to make masks for his revues from 1926 onward, and subsequently asked him to design costumes and sets. Messel also designed masks for private commissions and as interior decoration.

The wire attached to the back of the mask suggests it was intended to be hung rather than worn. Displaying masks in the home was very fashionable in the 1930s, and some contemporary commentators credited Messel with influencing this trend.

Mask

Mask England About 1920 Height 26 cm x Width 13 cm x Depth 17 cm S.241-2006

Great Britain's leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel's traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.

Messel's career as a theatre designer began with a prestigious commission to make 'masks and symbols' for a Diaghilev Ballet production, Zéphyre et Flore, in 1925. The masks were exhibited at the Claridge Gallery and attracted the interest of C. B. Cochran (1872-1951), the theatre impressario. He commissioned Messel to make masks for his revues from 1926 onward, and subsequently asked him to design costumes and sets. Messel also designed masks for private commissions and as interior decoration.

This mask may have featured in one of Messel's theatre productions during the 1920s. A Cecil Beaton photograph of Messel shows him lying face upwards, his head surrounded by masks, including this one. The design was probably inspired by a photograph of a Sudanese tribal dancer with a face whitened with clay.

Mask

Mask England 1920 - 1929 Height 30 cm x Width 18 cm x Depth 16 cm S.233-2006

Great Britain's leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel's traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.

Messel's career as a theatre designer began with a prestigious commission to make 'masks and symbols' for a Diaghilev Ballet production, Zéphyre et Flore, in 1925. The masks were exhibited at the Claridge Gallery and attracted the interest of C. B. Cochran (1872-1951), the theatre impressario. He commissioned Messel to make masks for his revues from 1926 onward, and subsequently asked him to design costumes and sets. Messel also designed masks for private commissions and as interior decoration.

This mask may have featured in one of Messel's theatre productions during the 1920s. Surviving paint shows the mask would have been richly coloured. The design was probably inspired by documentary photographs rather than African art.

Marionette

Marionette England 1870s-1890s Carved wood Height 68 cm x Circumference 15 cm S.293-1999

This is one of thirty-five marionettes known as of the Tiller-Clowes troupe, one of the last remaining Victorian marionette troupes in England. Marionette shows were a popular form of entertainment for adults in the 19th century. Many troupes were family concerns which travelled round the country long before the advent of film or television, presenting shortened versions of London's latest popular entertainment including melodramas, dramas, pantomimes, minstrel shows and music hall. In the 18th and early 19th centuries their theatres were relatively makeshift, but after about 1860 many became considerably elaborate, with walls constructed from wooden shutters, seating made from tiered planks of wood, and canvas roofs.

The figures were carved, painted, dressed and performed by members of the company. This is one of two black minstrels in the collection. Minstrel shows were very popular in London from the 1840s onwards, notably in St. James's Hall in Piccadilly where they were considered family entertainment, with the minstrels singing sentimental ballads and playing instruments including the banjo, tambourine, one-stringed fiddle and the bones. The craze for them extended to marionette companies, all of whom featured black minstrels in their troupes.

Marionette

Marionette England 1870s-1890s Carved wood Height 65 cm x Circumference 30cm x Length 15 cm S.292-1999

This is one of 35 marionettes from the Tiller-Clowes troupe, one of the last Victorian marionette troupes in England. Marionette shows were a popular form of entertainment for adults in the 19th century, many of them family concerns which travelled around the country long before the advent of film and television, presenting shortened versions of London's latest popular entertainment from melodramas and pantomimes to minstrel shows and music hall. In the 18th and early 19th centuries their theatres were relatively makeshift, but after about 1860 many became quite elaborate, with walls constructed from wooden shutters, seating made from tiered planks of wood, and canvas roofs.

The figures were carved, painted, dressed and performed by members of the company. This is one of two black minstrels in the collection. Minstrel shows were very popular in London from the 1840s onwards, notably in St. James's Hall in Piccadilly where they were considered family entertainment. Minstrels sang sentimental ballads and played instruments including the banjo, tambourine, one-stringed fiddle and the bones. The craze for them extended to marionette companies, all of whom featured black minstrels in their troupes.

Reticule

Reticule England About 1825 Silk, printed in black T.227-1966

This bag with its associated pamphlets is one of two in the Museum collection that were produced by the Female Society for Birmingham as part of their campaign for the abolition of slavery. The Society was founded in 1825 (originally called the Ladies Society for the Relief of Negro Slaves) in West Bromwich, near Birmingham. The bags were made by women at sewing circles where objects decorated with abolitionist emblems were produced to decorate their homes and for distribution as part of their campaigning activities. Recipients included King George IV, Princess Victoria and other aristocrats and wives of prominent politicians.

Fan

Fan Great Britain 1760s Painted kidskin T.25-1957

The image of the lady and the black servant on this fan is in a familiar tradition of representing black people in Britain as servants for white employers, or - in American and Caribbean contexts - as slaves. This image is unusual because it appears on a fan. The scene of a black man or boy serving a woman in a garden is reminiscent of Robert Hancock's popular design 'The Tea Party', which was transfer-printed on ceramics and also appears on an enamel snuff box in the V&A's collection.

‘I. Ancestral Heads: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘I. Ancestral Heads: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in brown, tinted with pink wash Height 21.4 cm x Width 26.5 cm E.48-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In this image, the first in the suite of twelve plates, we see commemorative brass heads of deceased Obas and, furthermost, the Queen Mother, placed in a shrine dedicated to royal ancestors. The heads are surmounted by ivory tusks with carved images of former kings, warrior chiefs, soldiers and animals with symbolic royal powers.

‘V. Odudua Dancers: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘V. Odudua Dancers: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in brown Height 21.4 cm x Width 26.8 cm E.52-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In this image, the fifth in the suite of twelve plates, we see Benin Odudua dancers performing a ritual dance in stylised masks prior to the British attack.

‘XII. Face to Face: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘XII. Face to Face: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in blue Height 21.6 cm x Width 26.7 cm E.59-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, 'History of the Benin Bronzes'. In the series, Phillips adopts the unusual technique of reusing a printing plate to create a second image, with elements of the first image still visible. Thus, in this image, the last in the suite of twelve plates, we revisit a mask worn by one of the 'odudua' dancers (scene five, E.52-1987) to find it encased in glass and spot lit in a gallery. The schematic way in which the gallery environment is depicted emphasises the means by which the mask has been forcibly removed from its original context.

‘XI. Living Room. Artist's Proof: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘XI. Living Room. Artist's Proof: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in blue Height 21.1 cm x Width 26.9 cm E.58-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In the series, Phillips adopts the unusual technique of reusing a printing plate to create a second image, with elements of the first image still visible. Thus, in this image, the eleventh in the suite of twelve plates, we revisit a cast bronze figure first pictured at the 'Shrine of Sacrifice' (scene three, E.50-1987) to find it standing on a plinth next to a TV in a European living room. The schematic way in which the home environment is depicted emphasises the means by which the figure has been forcibly removed from its original context.

‘X. The Gallery: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘X. The Gallery: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in blue Height 21.4 cm x Width 26.8 cm E.57-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In the series, Phillips adopts the unusual technique of reusing a printing plate to create a second image, with elements of the first image still visible. Thus, in this image, the tenth in the series of twelve plates, we revisit two of the commemorative brass heads first pictured in scene one (E.48-1987) to find them encased in glass in a museum gallery. The schematic way in which the museum environment is depicted emphasises the means by which the heads have been forcibly removed from their original context.

‘IX. The Lecture: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘IX. The Lecture: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in blue Height 21.6 cm x Width 26.7 cm E.56-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In the series, Phillips adopts the unusual technique of reusing a printing plate to create a second image, with elements of the first image still visible. Thus, in this image, the ninth in the suite of twelve plates, we revisit the leopards first pictured flanking the Oba in scene two (E.49-1987) to find them, as carved ivories, the subject of a museum curator's lecture. The schematic way in which the museum environment is depicted emphasises the means by which the leopards have been forcibly removed from their original context.

‘VIII. The Auction: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘VIII. The Auction: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in blue Height 21.9 cm x Width 26.8 cm E.55-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In the series, Phillips adopts the unusual technique of reusing a printing plate to create a second image, with elements of the first image still visible. Thus, in this image, the eighth in the suite of twelve plates, we revisit the cast brass plaques first pictured in the Oba's palace (scene four, E.51-1987) to find them under the auctioneer's hammer. The schematic way in which the auction environment is depicted emphasises the means by which the plaques have been forcibly removed from their original context.

‘VII. Punitive Expedition 1897: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘VII. Punitive Expedition 1897: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in black Height 21.6 cm x Width 26.7 cm E.54-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In the series, Phillips adopts the unusual technique of reusing a printing plate to create a second image, with elements of the first image still visible. Thus, in this image, the seventh in the suite of twelve plates, we revisit the Oba's palace of scene four only to find it licked by flames and occupied by British soldiers who stand with piles of booty before them. This layering technique mirrors the way in which history builds up in the layers, thus, for the Benin bronzes, reflects their inescapability from their original context and the means by which they were removed from it.

‘VI. British Punitive Expedition 1897: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘VI. British Punitive Expedition 1897: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in black Height 21.4 cm x Width 26.8 cm E.53-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In the series, Phillips adopts the unusual technique of reusing a printing plate to create a second image, with elements of the first image still visible. Thus, in this image, the sixth in the suite of twelve plates, the Odudua dancers of the preceding scene now face the bayonets of the British. This layering technique mirrors the way in which history builds up in the layers, thus, for the Benin bronzes, reflects their inescapability from their original context and the means by which they were removed from it.

‘IV. The Oba's Palace: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘IV. The Oba's Palace: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in brown Height 21.6 cm x Width 26.6 cm E.51-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In this image, the fourth in the suite of twelve plates, we see the richly ornate interior of the Oba's palace prior to the British raid, with cast brass plaques and members of the court in the foreground.

‘III. Shrine of Sacrifice: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘III. Shrine of Sacrifice: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in brown Height 21.1 cm x Width 26.9 cm E.50-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In this image, the third in the suite of twelve plates, we see the 'Shrine of Sacrifice' in Benin City. A bronze figure stands to the left of the image and other objects, including a sculpted head, lie on the floor.

‘II. Divine Kingship: History of the Benin Bronzes’

‘II. Divine Kingship: History of the Benin Bronzes’ United Kingdom 1984 Etching, printed in brown Height 21.4 cm x Width 26.5 cm E.49-1987

In 1897, following a series of frustrated attempts to end a monopoly on palm oil and various other commodities held by the Oba (king) of Benin, the British led a punitive raid on Benin City. Justification for this brutal event was sought, in the British press, by depicting the Oba and his people as 'savages' who practised human sacrifice. However, the elaborately carved ivories and cast brass plaques and sculpture seized from the royal court, and dispersed to British museum collections, were evidence of a sophisticated and technologically-advanced society.

This unsavoury aspect of British history was reflected on by artist Tony Phillips in a 1984 series of etchings, History of the Benin Bronzes. In this image, the second in the suite of twelve plates, we see the head of the Oba in royal situ, flanked by two leopards. Leopards, in Benin cosmology, were symbols of royal power.

‘Launching a Frigate’

‘Launching a Frigate’ England 1809 Etching coloured by hand Height 24.5 cm x Width 34.4 cm E.1239-1990

A frigate is a type of warship. This print compares a young woman beginning her career as a prostitute with the launching of a newly built ship. The seafaring theme is underlined by the scene taking place at Portsmouth docks. An important part of the power of this image is the contrast in appearance between the madam and the prostitute.

In the background of the image a chimney is on fire and a woman leaning out of a window calls to a black man below. Portsmouth played a part in Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, although to a lesser extent than London, Liverpool and Bristol. Port cities often played host to free black seaman, who served on British ships, and to settled communities of free black people.

Tobacco jar

Tobacco jar England About 1840-1850 Lead-glazed earthenware, with enamel decoration C.1&A-1957

Europeans discovered tobacco through their encounters with the indigenous peoples of the Americas who used it in barter and trade. Transferred to the new settlements in Virginia and elsewhere and cultivated with the labour of imported slaves from Africa, it became key to the economic success of the settlements and of Britain. Tobacco smoking was a popular pastime for British men who took it as snuff or smoked it in cheap, disposable clay pipes. 'Ready-rolled' cigarettes only became widely available in the 1880s.

In Britain tobacco remained strongly associated with black Africans and the apothecaries in which it was sold frequently used a wooden figure of a 'Blackamoor' to promote their wares. This tobacco jar, produced in Staffordshire, England, is in the form of a black child who wears an apron and is polishing a boot. In the 18th century it had been considered fashionable in wealthy homes to employ a black servant, especially a young boy, but by the mid 19th century, influenced by slave revolts in the colonies and the British anti-slavery movement, the fashion was less prevalent.

Snuff box

Snuff box England About 1820 - 1860 Carved wood, possibly boxwood T.1582-1913

Snuff, or powdered tobacco, was widely popular throughout Europe from the 17th century. Small boxes to contain the powder were made in their thousands, with decoration varying from the most expensive ones in jewelled gold and silver, to much more modest boxes of carved wood. Inexpensive carved snuff boxes, in the form of boots or shoes were popular in the 18th century and again in the 19th.

This one is unusual in that the carving of the stopper shows two heads that may be intended as Africans, perhaps making reference to the use of African slaves to harvest tobacco in the West Indies. Although there is no other clue, such as an inscription, to indicate whether the original owner would have opposed or supported slavery, the topic was a matter of impassioned debate in the early 19th century. In 1807 the trading of slaves in the British Empire had been forbidden by law, but the owning of other people as slaves was not made illegal in British territories until 1833.

Portrait

Portrait Trinidad 1926 Batik dyed silk Length 27 inches x Width 19 inches T.513-1934

This batik dyed silk panel shows an unnamed Trinidadian woman in bold profile. The artist, Alice M. Pashley, went on to become a founding member of The Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago, which was set up in 1943. The Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago was inspired by contemporary European art movements and their fascination with art from around the world but felt that art should reflect local subjects and themes. These concerns are demonstrated in this piece.

This portrait is believed to be of the artist's servant, and was made at a time of social and racial discord in the West Indies. Pashley's use of batik shows an interest in the wider art world and a knowledge of European trends in art. Originally developed in Indonesia, where she had studied it, the technique of batik became fashionable in Europe, America and West Africa in the early part of the twentieth century when this portrait was made.

‘Granville Sharp the Abolitionist Rescuing a Slave from the Hands of His Master’

‘Granville Sharp the Abolitionist Rescuing a Slave from the Hands of His Master’ 1864 Oil on canvas Height 1200mm x Width 1450mm 1-1874

James Hayllar was a successful painter best known for his portraits and his genre paintings of children. This painting depicts the prominent abolitionist and author Granville Sharp (1735-1813). The painting refers to an event in 1765 which triggered Sharp's interest in Abolition. In 1765 Sharp met Jonathan Strong, a slave seeking treatment for injuries sustained at the hands of his owner.

Sharp took up Strong's case and secured his release from prison when he was arrested as an escaped slave. Following this success Sharp began to research the legal status of slaves in Britain (as opposed to in British colonies) and argued on behalf of a number of slaves in court, hence the legal setting of this painting.

Figurine

Figurine England About 1836 Moulded and glazed earthenware Height 15 cm x Width 8 cm x Depth 6 cm S.329-1984

This represents the white American vaudeville performer Thomas Dartmouth Rice (1806-1860), as Jim Crow, the character he made famous in 1828 when he introduced it in an intermission of a play called The Rifle by Solon Robinson in Louisville, Kentucky. Rice, born in New York, either based his song and shuffling dance on 'the Jim Crow', which he saw performed on the streets by an old crippled African American wearing ragged clothes, or on a song and dance performed by a stablehand in Kentucky. The lyrics and the structure of the song allowed Rice to incorporate local gossip or issues in it, and after each verse and chorus he did the 'Jump Jim Crow' dance. It became such a success that he performed in many parts of America, including Washington in 1833. Jim Crow established Rice as one of the leading entertainers of his era, and he collected and popularised other authentic Negro songs and dances.

In 1836 Rice toured in England, Scotland and Ireland for a year, and was a huge hit at London's Surrey Theatre. This figurine is modelled after a music sheet illustration for the song 'Jim Crow!' issued after his appearance at the Surrey. Rice went on to incorporate his character into extravaganzas that he wrote including 'Jim Crow in London' or 'Jim Crow in Foreign Service'. Rice is seen as the originator of the blacked-up minstrel show although he always performed alone and not as part of a troupe.

‘Peter the Great with a Black Page’

‘Peter the Great with a Black Page’ About 1707 Watercolour on vellum Height 21.6 cm x Width 16.5 cm 605-1882

This is a portrait of Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia (1672-1725), and his page boy. It is by the German artist Baron Gustav von Mardefeld and dates from the early 18th century. The pair are shown on the battlefield and are wearing ceremonial dress. The boy could very well be Abraham Hannibal (about 1696-1781), who had been kidnapped from Africa at a young age and adopted by Peter the Great. Hannibal later became chief military engineer in the Russian Army and the great-grandfather of the famous writer Alexander Pushkin.

‘Ignatius Sancho's trade card’

‘Ignatius Sancho's trade card’ England After 1772 -before 14 December 1780 Engraving on paper Height 6.2 cm x Width 9.7 cm F.118:194

This printed card was made for Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780), a London grocer. It advertises his special blend Trinidado tobacco and illustrates a native American boy smoking a pipe and an African boy gathering sugar. Sancho's links with the Caribbean were more than commercial. He was himself an African, born on a slave ship crossing the Atlantic. He came to London as a small boy, first living in Greenwich and later working as a butler for the powerful Montagu family. As well as running his grocery shop, he wrote music, appeared on the stage and corresponded with leading literary figures. He was the first African known to vote in a British election.

‘Café Martin’

‘Café Martin’ France 1924 Colour lithograph on paper Height 1976 mm x Width 1284 mm E.15-1926

This is a poster for a brand of coffee. From 1903 Leonetto Cappiello began creating fantastical figures or animals in his posters. These then became associated with the product and thus became a form of brand character. His use of dynamic figures leaping or dancing out of their plain backgrounds towards the spectator made his designs highly successful. Some were repeated for more than 20 years.

‘Spear or Spare; Báshá Félíka / Captn. Speedy’

‘Spear or Spare; Báshá Félíka / Captn. Speedy’ Great Britain 1868 Albumen print from a collodion-on-glass negative Height 31.2 cm x Width 25 cm 19-1939

Public interest in the 1868 Abyssinian (Ethiopian) expedition by British forces extended to individuals associated with the conflict on both sides. In particular, the figures of the orphaned Abyssinian prince Alamayou and his striking guardian, the six foot five, flame-haired and bearded Captain Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy, caught the public imagination. Julia Margaret Cameron photographed both at her private studio on the Isle of Wight later the same year.

Speedy was an army officer and colonial official. After an earlier visit to Abyssinia to assist the emperor Tewodros II (Theodore) with military training, Speedy returned as civilian interpreter to the expedition. Speedy felt a strong affinity with the Abyssinian people; he learnt Amharic and adopted native dress. In this image, using props he probably supplied, Speedy is made to appear every bit the Abyssinian warrior, in native dress with his spear poised above an unidentified black man who holds a shield. The name given to Speedy by Tewodros - Báshá Félíka - meaning 'speedy' or 'lightening' has been included in the photograph's caption.

‘Josephine Baker’

‘Josephine Baker’ Great Britain 1988 Embroidered velvet T.157&A-1990

These witty shoes personify Josephine Baker (1906-75), the celebrated international singer and dancer. Known as the 'Black Goddess' of cabaret, she was famed for spectacular revues including her 1926 debut at the Folies Bergére in Paris. The highlight of the show featured an enormous flowered ball which gradually descended from the rafters and opened to reveal Josephine standing on a giant mirror. She was naked except for three gold bracelets on her upper arm and a girdle of rhinestone-studded bananas around her hips. The bananas pointed comically towards the ceiling and as she danced the Charleston they accentuated the forward and backward motion of her hips. The critics found the performance 'ravishing' but it was the banana waistband that that caused most comment on the opening night and for years to come. It became so popular that a film clip of Josephine's banana dance ran in movie houses throughout the United States.

‘The Adoration of the Magi’

‘The Adoration of the Magi’ Belgium About 1500-1520 Carved, painted and gilded oak 643-1897

This relief shows the Adoration of the Magi. These are the three wise men or kings who came to Bethlehem when Jesus was born. The Virgin and Child are seated on a throne at the centre. The eldest king, Caspar, is kneeling, Melchior stands to the left, and the third wise man Balthasar, shown here as an African, stands to the right. Although the sculpture is unmarked, we are sure that it was made in a workshop in Malines (Mechelen, Belgium) in the early 1500s. This is because certain features of this relief match those of statuettes that we know were made in Malines. They included the distinctive faces, especially that of the Virgin, the type of base, the flattened relief and the multi-colour decoration.

This piece may have originally stood at the centre of a group of religious figures set in a framed garden. This type of tableau or group was known as a hortus conclusus or closed garden. It seems that these gardens were made only in Malines.They were popular in the Southern Netherlands in the late 1400s and and early 1500s, when this relief was made. They were particularly associated with convents and hospitals, where prayers were offered to the images of saints shown in the miniature gardens.

‘Mulatto Boy’

‘Mulatto Boy’ England About 1830-1840 Watercolour Height 15 inches x Width 8.75 inches FA.339

The painter in watercolours William Henry Hunt (1790-1864) made several captivating portraits of black children, of which the V&A has three. Unfortunately, we do not know who this boy is. He probably lived near where the artist worked in London or down on the Sussex coast at Hastings.

Untitled

Untitled 1815 Etching on paper E.3453-1902

This print by John Thomas Smith was published in Vagabondiana (1817), a collection of prints of well-known London beggars and street traders first published as a folio of prints in 1815-1817. It shows Joseph Johnson, a former sailor in the British merchant navy. He was discharged without a pension and settled in London, where he became a street entertainer. Smith describes how Johnson made a model of the ship Nelson, which, 'when placed on his cap, he can, by a bow of thanks, or a supplicating inclination to a drawing room window, give the appearance of sea-motion'. Smith went on to describe how Johnson 'is as frequently to be seen in the rural village as in great cities; and when he takes a journey, the kind-hearted waggoner will often enable him in a few hours to visit the market-places of Staines, Romford, or St Albans'. There Johnson 'never fails to gain the farmer's penny' by singing songs such as 'The British Seaman's Praise' or 'The Wooden Walls of Old England'.

Smith was particularly interested in life in London and was responsible for The Cries of London, published in 1839, after his death. The 'Cries' of London were originally the calls of street traders and hawkers selling their wares. They became a rich source of inspiration for British musicians and artists, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. Vagabondiana fits into this tradition, and the inclusion of real-life black personalities like Joseph Johnson reflects the historical presence of many black men among the London poor, and the fact that this was recognised in mainstream publications of the time.

Untitled

Untitled 1815 Etching on paper E.3448-1902

This print by John Thomas Smith was published in Vagabondiana, a collection of prints of well-known London beggars and street traders, published first as a folio of prints in 1815-17 and as a book in 1817. Smith was particularly interested in life in London: he was also responsible for The Cries of London, published in 1839, after his death. The 'Cries' of London were originally the calls of street traders and hawkers selling their wares. They became a rich source of inspiration for British musicians and artists, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. Vagabondiana fits into this tradition, and the inclusion of real-life black personalities reflects the historical presence of many black men among the London poor, and the fact that this was recognised in mainstream publications of the time.

Scrapbook

Scrapbook 19th century Bound book, containing hand-coloured prints E.1070-1921

This image of Billy Waters comes from a book called Costume of the Lower Orders by Thomas Busby, which was published in London in 1820. Busby claimed that he drew his portraits 'from nature'. They included a one-armed white fiddle-player and other beggars and street-sellers in the tradition of 'Cries of London'. These 'Cries' were originally the calls of street traders and hawkers selling their wares. They became a rich source of inspiration for British musicians and artists. The inclusion of real-life black personalities in books and prints reflects the historical presence of black people among the London poor in the early 19th century.

The compiler of this scrapbook also pasted into it a notice of Billy Waters's death from a contemporary newspaper: 'The eccentric Billy Waters, whose conspicuous character . . . gained him as much notoriety, bade adieu to this life yesterday morning, after being ten days in St Giles's workhouse, in a lingering condition. Poor Billy endeavoured up to the period of his illness to obtain for a wife and two children what he termed "an honest living by the scraping of cat-gut", by which he originally amassed a considerable portion of browns (half-pence) at the West end of the town, where his hat and feathers, with his peculiar antics, excited much mirth and attention . . . however, he died very poor, and was obliged, prior to his death, to part with his old friend, the fiddle, for a trifling sum at the pawnbrokers; and the wooden pin (leg) which had so often supported Billy, would have shared the same fate, but its extensive service had rendered it worthless though it had twice saved poor Billy from the penalties of the Tread Mill. He was formerly a sailor, and he received a trifling pension since he left the service. A short time prior to his death he was elected King of a party of Beggars in St Giles's, in consequence of his notoriety. He resided with his family in the house of Mrs Fitzgerald, Church Street, St Giles's. His remains were yesterday removed from the Workhouse, to the New Burial Ground, St Pancras, where he was interred. He was followed to the grave by his wife and children, with a few old friends - some professional ones. He was forty-five years of age.'

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Untitled 1815 Etching on paper 29634:174

Charles M'Gee was born in Jamaica in 1744. He was a sailor in the British navy, and after his discharge he settled in London, working as a crossing-sweeper at Ludgate Hill near St Paul's Cathedral. Crossing-sweepers kept areas of the streets clear of rubbish and horse manure. They earned their living from the tips given by those pedestrians who depended on the crossings to keep their shoes and clothes clean.

This print was published in Vagabondiana (1817), a collection of prints of well-known London beggars and street traders first published as a folio of prints in 1815-1817. The author and artist John Thomas Smith was particularly interested in life in London. Another of his works is The Cries of London, published in 1839, after his death. The 'Cries' were originally the calls of street traders and hawkers selling their wares. They became a rich source of inspiration for British musicians and artists, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Vagabondiana fits into this tradition, and the inclusion of real-life black personalities such as M'Gee reflects the historical presence of many black men among the London poor, and the fact that this was recognised in mainstream publications of the time.

Trade card

Trade card England 18th century Engraving 12851:11

By the early 18th century, images of black men and women had become quite common on trade signs hanging outside shops and inns and on business cards. Portraits were known as 'Blackamoors' heads'. This example is typical of the genre. Images of black people were particularly associated with luxury imports from abroad, such as tea, coffee and chocolate, which are mentioned on this card. Tobacco and sugar, which were planted and harvested by African slaves forced to labour in Britain's American colonies and in the West Indian plantations established by Europeans, also often feature on similar cards.

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Untitled England 1846 Watercolour on paper 809.16

This watercolour shows the boxer John Perry fighting Ben Caunt at Westminster Baths, London, in 1846. Perry was born in Canada to African parents and came to Britain in the mid-1840s. Like many black men in Britain at that time he had served in the British navy. After he was discharged he earned a precarious living from boxing. In 1846, the year of this watercolour, Perry had fought his first professional opponent, Bill Burton. An onlooker described his fighting style: 'Poised on his toes, he danced around his man, jabbed with consistency and accuracy and delivered his punches cleanly. He was perfection as far as science was concerned.' Not long afterwards Perry was transported to Australia, having been convicted of involvement in a forgery ring. In 1849 he won the Australian heavyweight title.

‘The Toy Seller’

‘The Toy Seller’ Great Britain 1835 oil on panel Height 17 cm x Width 22 cm FA.149[O]

This painting shows a black toyseller holding up a toy to a white child. Mulready (1786-1863) returned to this subject over 20 years later, when he painted a larger version of a similar scene. That painting is now in the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin.

‘African Flower Seller’

‘African Flower Seller’ About 1790 Hand-coloured stipple engraving on paper E.1062-1931

This print shows a black flower-seller carting his wares through a British town. It is not possible to tell whether this print was based on a real person, or is an imaginary scene. However, there were significant numbers of black people in many British towns, particularly London and other ports, such as Liverpool and Bristol, by the end of the 18th century, so a scene like this would not have been uncommon. This man is shown earning his living from selling flowers. His wooden (peg) legs suggest that he may previously have been a sailor. The loss of one's legs was then an occupational hazard in the navy, when sea fights were mostly duels between cannon-laden, timber-built warships. Many black men served in the British navy in the 18th century.

‘The Adoration of the Magi’

‘The Adoration of the Magi’ About 1500 Stained glass Diameter 15 inches 6918-1860

The magi ('wise men') were traditionally astrologers of the Persian court and priests of the cult of Mithras, but were later redefined as kings. In the early Middle Ages they were given names, and, from the 15th century, Balthazar, the black magus/king, became a familiar figure in European images of the Adoration of Christ at his birth. The three magi/kings were often depicted as representatives of the three known continents - Europe, Asia and Africa (America only became known to Europeans at the end of the 15th century). They were also meant to represent the three ages of life - old age, middle age and youth. The black magi/king was usually depicted as the youngest of the three, as in this example.

‘Francis Williams, the Negro Scholar of Jamaica’

‘Francis Williams, the Negro Scholar of Jamaica’ Great Britain About 1745 Oil on canvas Heigh 66 cm x Width 50.1 cm P.83-1928

Object Type
The ability to commission a portrait painted in oil was regarded as a sure sign of achievement and social status. Many artists made their living from the ever-increasing demand for likenesses during the 18th century.

Subjects Depicted
Francis Williams was a Jamaican poet and a scholar. The painter of his portrait, who probably worked in Jamaica, has copied the style and format of European portraits. He or she must have seen examples of such pictures, or, more likely, prints reproducing them. There were conventions in representing scholarly men, and the artist has used several of them here. Williams is shown as a scholar in his book-lined study, with a globe of the world, and a celestial globe on the table. Dividers and other instruments are also strewn on the table. All this indicates that he has studied astronomy, mathematics and geography. A landscape, presumably of Spanish Town, Jamaica, is visible through the window, showing that Williams was resident there. It has been suggested that this portrait is a caricature of Williams because the painter has shown him with a large head and legs so thin that his stockings are wrinkled. However, Williams may have wanted to be shown in this manner to emphasise his intellectual rather than physical stature.

Tea tray

Tea tray England 1743 Tin-glazed earthenware, painted in cobalt blue Diameter 35.5 cm 3864-1901

Object Type
Tea trays were used to carry the teapot and other utensils to the table. During the 18th century tea was made in front of family and guests in well-off households, rather than in the kitchen. Initially an expensive luxury confined to the wealthy, tea became more widely drunk as prices fell during the course of the century. Very few delftware tea trays survive. The shape of this tray is based on silver examples made between about 1710 and 1730. A tray of the same shape is shown in the tea-party scene painted on the tray itself. A teapot and tea bowls are depicted on the tray, while a black servant boy can be seen bringing a kettle of hot water to the table.

Techniques
Items of tin-glazed earthenware, such as this tea tray, were fired twice. The first firing was done before any decoration or glaze was applied. The wares emerged from this 'biscuit' firing in a hard and slightly porous state. The pots were then dipped in glaze and set on boards to dry. The raw glaze was delicate and liable to come off, and once dry had a powdery and highly absorbent surface. Painting of considerable refinement could be carried out on this surface, as is demonstrated by the exquisite painted scene on this tray. However, the absorbent nature of the unfired glaze meant that mistakes could not be erased. Once the decoration was complete the wares were fired for a second time.

Valance

Valance England/France late 16th century Linen canvas, embroidered with wool and silk Height 57.5 cm x Length 216 cm T.136-1991

Valances were the borders or bands that ran around the two sides and end of an Elizabethan bed, hiding the rail or place from which the bed curtains were suspended. They formed a frieze that was particularly suitable for embroidery with figure subjects, often featuring a narrative to provide interest and entertainment. Sets of bed hangings were 'multi-purpose' and they also created a draught-free and private sleeping compartment.

The style and workmanship of this valance suggests that it was made in a professional workshop either in France itself or under strong French influence. Mary Queen of Scots, who was brought up in France, introduced French influence into Scotland and England in the 16th century. The setting is an ornamental garden and most of the figures wear rich contemporary court costume. The main subject is a pair of seated lovers. They are attended by two females, one holding a mirror and possibly intended to represent prudence, the other holding a small dog, possibly intended to represent fidelity. One woman reads a partially legible French inscription, and a small black boy holds up a music score for the musicians on the right of the scene.

‘Stoke Edith Hanging’

‘Stoke Edith Hanging’ England 1710-1720 Height 318 cm x Width 647 cm T.568-1996

Object Type
This is the larger of a pair of embroidered wall hangings which came originally from Stoke Edith in Herefordshire. The embroideries depict formal garden scenes, laid out in late-17th-century Anglo-Dutch style. They would have been used like woven tapestries, to line the walls of a room with decorative, narrative scenes.

Places
Stoke Edith was built by Paul Foley, Speaker of the House of Commons, who demolished the old house on the site and started to build the new one in 1697. The house was completed by his son Thomas after his death in 1699. After a visit by the leading garden designer George London in 1692 the park and gardens were remodelled to his suggestion, and it is likely that pleasure grounds would have been laid out around the house in a series of formal compartments with geometric walks, flower-beds and fountains.

Subjects Depicted
The gardens depicted in the hangings may reflect the appearance of the real gardens at Stoke Edith in the early 18th century or may be composites of elements of fashionable garden design of the period, which included Chinese porcelain pots and extravagantly fashionable tulips. On the left side of the hanging are two gentlemen walking with a black servant. By the late 17th century many wealthy families had black servants, who were often included in portraits of the aristocracy as emblems of wealth.

Materials & Making
Family tradition described the hangings as the work of members of the household, but their huge scale and the consistent quality of the embroidery indicate that they must have been made in a professional workshop.

‘North African man in travelling costume’

‘North African man in travelling costume’ Africa About 1900-1910 Watercolour over pencil, heightened with white and gum, on stiff paper Height 22.4cm x Width 14.1 cm SD.240

Object Type
This painting is rendered in a skilled `wet' watercolour style, suited to the exoticism of the costume. A difficult technique, with little room for error, it gives the feeling of spontaneity, although the brushwork is tightly controlled. Watercolours of exotic subjects such as this had been popular in Britain since the 18th century, but the Victorian period was the time of greatest demand. By the end of the 19th century, however, the rise of cheap photography and coloured photo-mechanical illustrations had reduced their popularity.

People
Collins was a painter of landscapes, costume, military and architectural subjects who exhibited widely in London. He also illustrated books, including his own published works on the cathedrals of Spain and Italy.

‘Dejátch Álámáyou’

‘Dejátch Álámáyou’ Great Britain 1868 Albumen print Height 29.5 cm x Width 23.5 cm 24-1939

Prince Álámáyou' (1861-1879) was the orphaned son of the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II (Theodore) and his second wife, Queen Woyzaro Terunesh. Tewodros committed suicide just before British forces captured his fortress at Magdala in April 1868. The Queen died the same year whilst being escorted to her native province of Semyen. On her request the Prince was brought to England under the guardianship of Captain Speedy, an army officer who had spent time in Abyssinia and spoke Amharic. Speedy took Alamayou to the Isle of Wight where he was introduced to Queen Victoria, whose family spent summers on the island. The Prince made a strong impression on Victoria and, with her support, received an English education. His death of pleurisy at the age of eighteen was described by the Queen as 'too sad'.

Julia Margaret Cameron took this photograph during one of Alamayou's visits to Queen Victoria at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, in 1868. Probably responding to public interest in the orphan African prince, Cameron has presented her subject as a melancholy and romantic figure. The photograph was initially printed in large format but was reproduced in the form of cabinet cards and cartes de visite.

Coverlet

Coverlet England 1820 Wool appliqué and patchwork, with embroidery Height 244 cm x Width 221 cm T.23-2007

Ann West, the creator of this needlework masterpiece, may have owned a millinery and dressmaking shop in Chippenham, Wiltshire. To make the coverlet, she used brightly coloured woollen material from coats and uniforms, a type of cloth made in the West Country.

The design shows Adam naming the animals in the Garden of Eden, together with 64 brightly coloured woollen panels showing other vivid scenes from Bible stories, and lively depictions of everyday characters and occupations. Captions are embroidered over the appliqué pictures, adding humorous and personal touches. Each panel acts as a window onto early nineteenth century life, and they include a depiction of a double wedding, a 'Poor Sailor', and a 'Negro servant and Master'.

Jug

Jug England Late 18th century Height 9.125 inches x Diameter 6.75 inches 3642-1901

The use of beer jugs to promote political causes began in the 1770s, when huge numbers of overglaze black prints were added to creamwares and pearlwares. This jug celebrates Britain's imperial achievements in trade and commerce. On one side is printed an image of a figure symbolising Britannia, who sits enthroned, with shield and lion to her side, receiving tributes from four female figures who represent the Four Continents. 'Africa' is foremost. She kneels on one knee and holds out a string of beads. Behind her an ivory tusk is just visible. Above the scene is written 'COMMERCE REVIVED'. On the reverse side of the jug is an image of a three-masted ship flying the red ensign, adopted as the official flag of the Merchant Navy in 1864.

Despite the confidence in the commercial strength of the empire suggested by the images on the jug, Britain's dominance would be threatened by the loss of thirteen mainland American colonies in the War of Independence (1775-1783).