Broadside for the auction of 10 enslaved families in New Orleans: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A single-sheet broadside printed in black ink on wood pulp paper. The broadside is an announcement for a slave auction that took place on January 29, 1855 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Written at the top of the broadside in bold lettering is [56 VERY CHOICE / Cotton Plantation SLAVES, / MECHANICS, / SEAMSTRESSES, COOKS, &C.] Between two bold parallel lines printed in smaller lettering is [By J. A. BEARD & MAY. J. A. Beard, Auctioneer]. Below the bottom line printed in the same size font is [WILL BE SOLD AT AUCTION, / ON MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1855, / At 12 o’Clock, at Banks’ Arcade, / WITHOUT RESERVE, / The following list of choice and Valuable SLAVES, from the Plantation of Gen. W. BAILEY, / Lake Providence, La., viz:]. Printed below this are the names, ages and skills of the enslaved people being auctioned. Skills and occupations listed include cotton picker, ox driver, slave driver, seamstress, ironer, carpenter, cooper, cotton gin hand, midwife, and field hand. There are fifty-six people listed in two columns, organized by family units with ten families total listed.

Beneath the listing of enslaved persons is printed text with the terms of sale, followed by a handwrittten inscription reading [Monday, Jany 29, 1855 Very Cold / Tuesday " 30 " " "].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1855
• Printed by: Unidentified
• Subject of: J. A. Beard, English, born 1806
• Subject of: J. A. Beard and May, American
• Subject of: General William Henry Bailey, American, 1804 - 1878
• Subject of: President Thomas Jefferson, American, 1743 - 1826
• Subject of: Theodore O. Stark, American, born 1820
• Type: broadsides
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 13 3/4 x 8 3/8 in. (34.9 x 21.3 cm)
• Place used: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Agriculture
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Black Enterprise
• Topic: Building Arts
• Topic: Children
• Topic: Commerce
• Topic: Cooking and dining
• Object number: 2009.9.7
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.