Freedom. Aug 1st 1834." [Slavery Abolition Act, subsequently known as Emancipation Day]

[London? n.p., mid-19th century]. Colored lithograph. 7 x 9¼ inches. Trimmed and tipped-on, along one edge, to a larger and heavier cream sheet measuring 10 x 11 inches; small portions from two of the print's corner tips are affixed to this larger sheet. In pencil on the verso, "N. America" with an old price in English pounds. A rich vibrant image.

This vibrant and allegorical nineteenth-century print commemorates the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of August 1st, 1834, which subsequently became celebrated as Emancipation Day throughout the British Empire. The 1834 Act abolished human ownership, buying, and selling in the British Empire, initiating freedom for 800,000 enslaved individuals in all colonies.

The print likely portrays a scene in the Caribbean, such as Trinidad and Tobago, based on the depiction of vegetation with palm leaves and a plantation windmill used for grinding sugar cane. At the center of the image stands the allegorical figure of Minerva or Athena, clad in a metallic breastplate and helmet, blue dress and a red cape. In her left hand, she holds a long, slender spear with a Phrygian cap at the top, symbolizing liberty and authority. Her right hand extends towards a recently emancipated Black man who kneels in gratitude, to whom she presents a scrolled copy of the 1834 Act with the words "Freedom. Aug 1st 1834" written at the bottom, near a dangling red wax seal.

At Minerva's feet lie the broken tools of the slave-master: a whip and manacles. To her left, contrasting with the presence of the kneeling figure, lies a mound of unprocessed goods, presumably indicative of the crops, such as unrefined sugar, grown and prepared by the enslaved on colonial estates.

The freed Black man depicted is a father, and his family joins in the celebration. His wife holds a naked infant on her lap, jubilantly spreading her hands in the air, while a nearby child smiles and holds an overseer's whip, also broken. In the background, to the right of Minerva, three distant figures are visible, with one figure raising a hand, possibly expressing jubilation.

The use of Minerva conveys the idea that she brings freedom and enlightenment to the colonized inhabitants of this Caribbean island, implying that the British Empire has chosen to bestow wisdom, civilization, and enlightenment upon their colonized island.

The origins of this image have yet to be known, and we find no other examples extant. However, one could surmise that its purpose extended beyond a representation of emancipation and liberation. It may have aimed to instill hope in anti-slavery activists on both sides of the Atlantic, and influence those who remained undecided regarding the necessity of abolishing slavery.