Token with "Am I Not a Woman and Sister": Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This circular copper abolitionist token depicts a kneeling female figure in chains with uplifted arms on the front. The figure is surrounded by the words “AM I NOT A WOMAN & A SISTER *1838*." On the reverse the words “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” surround an olive wreath enclosing the words “LIBERTY/1838.” The letter "N" in "UNITED" is backwards.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1838
• Commissioned by: American Anti-Slavery Society, American, 1833 - 1870
• Manufactured by: Gibbs, Gardner and Company, American, 1830 - 1846
• Type: tokens
• Medium: copper
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 1 1/16 × 1 1/16 × 1/8 in. (2.7 × 2.7 × 0.3 cm)
• Place made: Belleville, Essex County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Antislavery
• Topic: Emancipation
• Topic: Slavery
• Topic: Women
• Object number: 2018.52
• 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: Public domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.