Title
Sugar Bowl
Label
Sugar Bowl
Possibly made at the Minton Factory, Staffordshire, England, 1826-1840
Made of Lead-Glazed Earthenware
4.75” wide
Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by W. Groke Mickey
The image of the kneeling enslaved woman on this sugar bowl reflects the growing involvement of women in the abolition movement and their goal of highlighting the plight of enslaved women. Inspired by the figure of a kneeling, enslaved man that had been used by activists since 1787, this image was developed around 1826, probably by the Female Society for Birmingham… for the Relief of British Negro Slaves, one of the most prominent anti-slavery groups in 19th century Britain.
Much of the sugar that filled bowls like this came from slave-run plantations in the Caribbean and South America. To many activists, eating slave-grown sugar made one complicit in the sins of slavery; as one enslaved worker said, “When you eat our sugar, you drink our blood.”[xix] Activists organized boycotts of sugar and promoted sugar grown by free labor in South Asia, pioneering the concept of “fair trade” products.
Possibly made at the Minton Factory, Staffordshire, England, 1826-1840
Made of Lead-Glazed Earthenware
4.75” wide
Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by W. Groke Mickey
The image of the kneeling enslaved woman on this sugar bowl reflects the growing involvement of women in the abolition movement and their goal of highlighting the plight of enslaved women. Inspired by the figure of a kneeling, enslaved man that had been used by activists since 1787, this image was developed around 1826, probably by the Female Society for Birmingham… for the Relief of British Negro Slaves, one of the most prominent anti-slavery groups in 19th century Britain.
Much of the sugar that filled bowls like this came from slave-run plantations in the Caribbean and South America. To many activists, eating slave-grown sugar made one complicit in the sins of slavery; as one enslaved worker said, “When you eat our sugar, you drink our blood.”[xix] Activists organized boycotts of sugar and promoted sugar grown by free labor in South Asia, pioneering the concept of “fair trade” products.
Credit Line
Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by W. Groke Mickey
Citation
“Sugar Bowl,” Museums at Washington and Lee University: Online Exhibits, accessed May 2, 2024, https://exhibits-museums.omeka.wlu.edu/items/show/199.