"Traite des Negres" printed textile

Date1820-1830

Maker E. Feldtruppe

MediumRoller-printed cotton

DimensionsOW: 30 3/4"; OL: 19 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2002-81

DescriptionFragment of tabby-woven cotton, roller-printed in purple contrasting scenes depicting the slave trade and Africans befriending shipwrecked English people (a scene known at the time as "African Hospitality"). At left, Africans are being captured. A man sits in a small boat with his head in his hands. At right, a white family that has been shipwrecked is befriended by Africans.
Label TextThis textile was printed as an abolitionist statement. Based in part on George Morland's 1791 paintings of "The Slave Trade" and "African Hospitality," transmitted via French prints of the scenes, the textile contrasts the cruel treatment of the slave traders with the hospitality of Africans who befriended a white shipwrecked family. The textile was probably originally used as a curtain.
Inscribed"E. Feldtruppe" (signed in printing).