Chair made by slaves from Ridgley Plantation near Florence, South Carolina. The chair is made with mortise and tenon joints reinforced with square nails. The seat is of animal skin. Evidence that the legs of the chair have been shortened indicates that it was a slave's chair. Slaves were not permitted to sit higher than the master or his children.
Snake-shaped wrought iron art object. The eyes are painted red and there are gold painted markings on the body. Forged by Carlton Simmons, Charleston, South Carolina.
Copper slave badge, square in shape. Face is stamped "Charleston 1840 Servant 1869." 1840 is the year produced and 1869 signifies that it was the 1,869th "servant" badge sold that year.
Copper slave badge, square in shape, reading "Charleston 20 Servant 1823." Under the date, a stamp reads "LAFA," signifying the maker, John Joseph Lafar.
Copper slave badge imprinted "Charleston No. 261 Fruiterer 1812." The badge is a contemporary counterfeit -- "Fruiterer" is not a known occupation to be printed upon slave badges.
Pewter slave badge produced for a servant in Charleston, S.C. It was common to counterfeit badges to avoid paying taxes, and this particular one was not issued by the city, but created in the stamped year. The face is stamped "Charleston 1862 Servant #4." Back side contains no markings.
Framed oil portrait of Thomas Miller, African American lawyer, politician, and educator who was a South Carolina legislator, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and first President of South Carolina State College (formerly the Colored Normal Industrial Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina).
Slave auctioneer's token, 1846. These tokens were distributed as one-cent pieces and served as advertisements for the businesses and services depicted on the coins.
Iron mortar and pestle from Lincolnville, South Carolina. According to Mrs. Gold, a local store owner grew the peanuts, shucked them, and made peanut butter with this mortar and pestle to sell in his store.
Ten dollar Confederate greenback issued on February 17, 1864 and redeemable two years after the ratification of a treaty of peace between the Confederate States of America and the United States of America. Printed by Evans & Cogswell in Charleston, South Carolina and engraved by Keatinge & Ball of Columbia, South Carolina.
Five dollar Confederate greenback issued on February 17, 1864 and redeemable two years after the ratification of a treaty of peace between the Confederate States of America and the United States of America. Printed by Evans & Cogswell in Charleston, South Carolina and engraved by Keatinge & Ball of Columbia, South Carolina.
Framed oil painting, "Shrimp Vendor," depicting an African American man with a tray of shrimp walking by a house with iron fence and balcony, typical of Charleston homes.
Circular all-purpose sweetgrass basket with decorative sides; contains alternating rows of pine needle and sweetgrass accented with pine knots; sewn with palmetto leaf; distinctive style is known as the "elephant ear" design.
