ca. 1790 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This print shows a black flower-seller carting his wares through a British town. It is not possible to tell whether this print was based on a real person, or is an imaginary scene. However, there were significant numbers of black people in many British towns, particularly London and other ports, such as Liverpool and Bristol, by the end of the 18th century, so a scene like this would not have been uncommon. This man is shown earning his living from selling flowers. His wooden (peg) legs suggest that he may previously have been a sailor. The loss of one's legs was then an occupational hazard in the navy, when sea fights were mostly duels between cannon-laden, timber-built warships. Many black men served in the British navy in the 18th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Hand-coloured stipple engraving on paper |
| Brief description | Anonymous, Disabled African Man Selling Flowers from a Donkey Cart, c.1790 |
| Physical description | Hand-coloured print depicting a black man with two peg legs, wearing brown trousers, a dark blue coat, a red waistcoat and a red hat. He is carrying a walking stick or crutch in his right hand and a potted plant with yellow flowers in his left hand. He is sitting in a cart full of potted plants, drawn by a pair of small donkeys. The man and cart are in front of a house with railings in front, and a white woman, wearing a white hat is looking out of the window. |
| Gallery label | This rather naive print of about 1790 shows a flower-seller carting his wares through a British town. Though it is not possible to tell whether the character was imaginary or based on a living person, his peg-legs suggest a past life on the high seas. |
| Credit line | F. L. Lucas Bequest |
| Summary | This print shows a black flower-seller carting his wares through a British town. It is not possible to tell whether this print was based on a real person, or is an imaginary scene. However, there were significant numbers of black people in many British towns, particularly London and other ports, such as Liverpool and Bristol, by the end of the 18th century, so a scene like this would not have been uncommon. This man is shown earning his living from selling flowers. His wooden (peg) legs suggest that he may previously have been a sailor. The loss of one's legs was then an occupational hazard in the navy, when sea fights were mostly duels between cannon-laden, timber-built warships. Many black men served in the British navy in the 18th century. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1062-1931 |
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| Record created | November 11, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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