Title
Jar
Creator
Made by David Drake, Edgefield District, South Carolina
Date
October 31, 1849
Label
Jar
Made by David Drake, Edgefield District, South Carolina, October 31, 1849
Made of Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware
Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by the Herndon Foundation, the Family of Elisabeth S. Gottwald, and John Goadby Hamilton ’32
2019.18.1
This jar was made by David Drake, an enslaved African American potter from South Carolina in the mid-1800s.
Drake is famous in part because of the pots he made, which are large, skillfully thrown jars and jugs covered in a rich alkaline glaze. But his fame rests primarily on the fact that he inscribed many of his pieces with his name, the date he made the vessel and, in some rare instances, short poems that reflected on his life and his world.
It was not only rare for enslaved people to read and write in South Carolina, it was also illegal. Thus, Dave’s bold proclamation of his literacy was an act of independence and resistance.
This piece is on display in the Reeves Atrium.
Made by David Drake, Edgefield District, South Carolina, October 31, 1849
Made of Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware
Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by the Herndon Foundation, the Family of Elisabeth S. Gottwald, and John Goadby Hamilton ’32
2019.18.1
This jar was made by David Drake, an enslaved African American potter from South Carolina in the mid-1800s.
Drake is famous in part because of the pots he made, which are large, skillfully thrown jars and jugs covered in a rich alkaline glaze. But his fame rests primarily on the fact that he inscribed many of his pieces with his name, the date he made the vessel and, in some rare instances, short poems that reflected on his life and his world.
It was not only rare for enslaved people to read and write in South Carolina, it was also illegal. Thus, Dave’s bold proclamation of his literacy was an act of independence and resistance.
This piece is on display in the Reeves Atrium.
Credit Line
Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by the Herndon Foundation, the Family of Elisabeth S. Gottwald, and John Goadby Hamilton ’32
Citation
Made by David Drake, Edgefield District, South Carolina, “Jar,” Museums at Washington and Lee University: Online Exhibits, accessed April 26, 2024, https://exhibits-museums.omeka.wlu.edu/items/show/250.