Anti-slavery plaque, late 1700s - early 1800s
This wall plaque gives a British view of the abolition of slavery. It shows an enslaved African kneeling, his hands and feet tied together with chains. He is begging Britannia, the lady in the long flowing robes, to set him free. Britannia is commonly used as a symbol of Britain.
Most British people believed that they were solely responsible for ending slavery. This was far from true. Many Africans actively fought against their own enslavement.
The figure of the enslaved African on this plaque is made from moulded wax. It stands out against the pale painted background and picture of Britannia. A ship, probably a slave ship, can be seen in the background. The design of the plaque emphasises the differences British people believed existed between Africans and themselves.
Slavery abolitionists used the image of a kneeling slave as their emblem in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It is based on an anti-slavery design created at the Wedgwood pottery factory in 1787. William Hackwood, a worker at the factory, modelled the design.
The kneeling slave image was first used on medallions. Over 200 000 medallions decorated with the image were made to promote the abolitionistsâ cause. The design also appeared on ceramics, hairpins and jewellery. The public showed their support for the campaign to abolish slavery by buying these objects.
The kneeling slave design has been criticised because it shows enslaved Africans as passive people pleading for their emancipation. In reality, many Africans fought against their own enslavement. The design was intended to provoke sympathy from the British public and Parliament. They saw themselves as the sole liberators of enslaved people.
