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Attributed to Maria, a slave owned by Mary Stevens Witham of LaGrange, Ga. Circa 1870. Courtesy of Penny and Allan Katz, Allan Katz Americana. |
Sold to a private collector
at The American Antiques Show (TAAS)
African-American Slave Pictorial
Attributed to Maria, a slave owned
by Mary Stevens Witham of LaGrange, Ga.
Circa 1870.
Various fabrics, primarily wool, appliquéd onto a linen panel, 34 x 30 in.
Courtesy of Penny and Allan Katz, Allan Katz Americana
Extant examples of appliquéd pictorials made by slaves are exceedingly rare. Much of the imagery and presentationof this pictorial—from the giraffe to sharecropper’s mule—reflect African and African-American storytelling and experience. Two of the most prominent images are the “mojo hand” of God, sygnifying protection, and the fox, which represents a troublemaker, a source of conflict. The fox is placed between two figures representing Civil War soldiers striding in opposite directions: one cut from blue fabric, the other from brown. The open eye of the blue figure represents the North’s awareness of the issues of slavery, whereas the “X” over the brown figure’s eye refers to the southern viewpoint; symbolism in keeping with the political sympathies of a slave artist. |
