Skip to Content
Closed now, next open tomorrow. Closed now, next open tomorrow.

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue Closed
  • Wed 11–5
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Anti-Slavery Medallion

A work made of stoneware (jasperware and black basalt), cut steel, and ivory.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of stoneware (jasperware and black basalt), cut steel, and ivory.

Date:

1787

Artist:

Wedgwood Manufactory (1759–present)
Probably modeled by William Hackwood (born England, about 1753–1836)
Etruria, Staffordshire, England

About this artwork

This small plaque featuring a kneeling figure of an enslaved African man beneath the words Am I not a man and a brother? became a symbol of the British antislavery movement. Wedgwood distributed these plaques to advance the abolitionist message; the figure’s supplicant posture was intended to stir benevolence and support for abolition among the white recipients of this token. Made from Josiah Wedgwood’s fashionable jasperware ceramic, more typically used to emulate ancient cameos, the plaque is framed by cut-steel “gems” and set in ivory from Africa. Despite its abolitionist slogan, the medallion embodies the entanglement of British taste, industrial innovation, and colonial exploitation in the late 1700s.

Status

On View, Galleries 231-233

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Artist

Wedgwood Manufactory (Manufacturer)

Title

Anti-Slavery Medallion

Place

Burslem (Object made in:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1787

Medium

Stoneware (jasperware and black basalt), cut steel, and ivory

Inscriptions

Inscription: "AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER?"

Dimensions

5.2 × 4.1 × 0.7 cm (2 1/16 × 1 5/8 × 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Amelia Blanxius Memorial Collection, gift of Mrs. Emma B. Hodge and Mrs. Jene E. Bell

Reference Number

1912.326

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/66185/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms