Slave auction ink and watercolor and iron ball and chain at the Historic New Orleans Collection

Slave auction ink and watercolor and iron ball and chain at the Historic New Orleans Collection

Memorialization of Urban Slavery in Southern Coastal Cities

slavery; memorials

This ink and water color image from 1831, which is part of the Historic New Orleans Collection, depicts a slave auction. The iron ball and chain were "worn by the slave Peggy," a slave who lived 40 miles upriver from New Orleans and was accused of murdering another slave woman. Wearing this was part of her punishment.

This project was funded by Bernard and Anne Spitzer Travel Fellowship for research projects involving travel abroad and incorporating the study of architecture, landscape architecture, or urbanism.

My goal was to research, witness, and record how each of my chosen Southern port cities has dealt with its past in regards to urban slavery, and to begin making a record of this history. Although all of the locations I visited were major hubs of the American slave trade, these cities remain mostly lacking in admitting their full and complete history. The inaccurate and incomplete narratives, lack of memorials, and white-washed histories designed to appeal to the tourist industry do not tell the stories of the slaves in an unbiased and forthright way. So much of what I witnessed revolved around a very racially divided tourist industry, but I know that change is possible. The story of urban slavery is not just the story of African Americans in the United States, but the story of all of us, and the more we can understand this, the better off we all will be.

Whang, Maura

This image is under copyright. You need to contact copyright owners for any commercial or non-commercial uses. Contact information: digital@ccny.cuny.edu.

Whang, Maura

Architecture and City Planning

T0595

New Orleans, LA