Black History
One of Four Known 1863 Anti-Slavery Book with Five Rare Historic Photo Illustrations
1863-Dated Civil War Period, Art Book "Bond and Free: Five Sketches Illustrative of Slavery" by J.Noel Paton, Photographed by Thomas Annan, of Glasgow, Fine.
This large Art Book measures 18" x 13" overall size in original silver-gray wrappers. Includes five mounted Albumen Photographs of Artworks by Paton, depicting Slave-related topics. Each photograph measures 7" x 8.5", with rounded top corners. These photographs are laid down on letterpress mounts, with titles and text below. The images are in essentially perfect condition but the mounting pages are heavily speckled and the outer covers are somewhat rough around the edges. The very powerful images were originally drawn by J. Noel Paton (1821-1901), a British painter known for his use of allegory, then photographed for this work by Thomas Annan. Titles on the Photographs include: "Verbum Dei;" "The Sale;" "The Capture"; "The Rescue;" and "Freedom." This series of five works combines straightforward image of the cruelties of the slave trade with classic religious symbolism. "The Rescue" is particularly striking in its portrayal of a sailor reaching down into a cargo hold crammed full of Slaves. Paton's works are in the British National Gallery. The present work, being important in the realms of art, photography, and Anti-slavery, is quite rare. Other than this copy, only three copies are believed known, located: at Northwestern, the American Antiquarian Society, and Cornell University.