Bust of an enslaved African by W.T. Copeland, Staffordshire, after 1847
This sculpture of an enslaved African was made at least 14 years after slavery was abolished in Britain and its colonies. It was probably made for the American market during their Civil War.
The American Civil War was partly based on the issue of slavery. At the end of the American Civil War in 1865, slavery was finally abolished in the US. This bust shows how English businesses made the most of foreign customers and political issues.
This sculpture is made from Parian. Parian is a white, unglazed pottery that looks similar to marble. Pottery manufacturers Copeland & Garrett introduced Parian at their Staffordshire factory in the early 1840s. Figures made from Parian soon became very popular.
Copeland and Garrettâs partnership ended in 1847, and production was continued by W.T. Copeland. The name Copeland soon became synonymous with Parian pottery.
Hundreds of thousands of Parian pottery figures and groups were made by Copeland and other manufacturers. They wanted to share the success that Parian had brought Copeland. Genuine Copeland Parian figures like this one can be identified by the name âCOPELANDâ stamped on them.
Slavery was officially abolished in Britain and the British colonies in 1833, but it remained legal elsewhere. The British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society was set up in 1839 to encourage other countries to abolish slavery. The society asked for a ban on slave-made products and held the first world Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840.
Many British people showed their support for the abolition of slavery by buying decorative objects with an anti-slavery message. Displaying objects like this sculpture would have been a visible way to show how you felt about slavery.
The American President made an Emancipation Proclamation against slavery in 1863. In 1865 slavery was abolished in the United States. In many other parts of the world slavery continued and still does today in many forms.