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Anti-slavery Original Wooden Printing Block

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Black History

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Fabulous Original Slave Hanging Woodblock Printing Plate

c. 1850, Original Wooden Printing Block, Depicting a Slave Hanging from the Rafters, Choice Very Fine.
This is an original, hand-engraved, 4.5" x 3" dark wood printing block, used to print an illustration in a book or newspaper. The scene shows a Black slave hanging by his hands from a rafter in punishment, as a White man looks in the window. This illustration is from a pamphlet titled "Slavery A System of Inherent Cruelty" published in England about 1850 by the Leeds Anti-slavery Society, being its pamphlet number 7. In 1853 the first 82 of these pamphlets were published in book form, so issue #7 and its printing block must date to the very early 1850's or 1840's. The engraving on this block is slightly different in some minor details from that shown in the Leeds journal; perhaps this is a replacement block made when the original wore out or cracked. This block is in excellent condition, with no cracks or significant blemishes. A rare and historical item, engraved for use by an antislavery society.



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