Portrait of a runaway enslaved man titled “A Good Likeness of Sancho” in the Columbian Centinel
by (SLAVERY AND ABOLITION.)
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Stevenson, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Folio (20 x 13 in.). 4pp. Untrimmed, never bound. Light browning. Near fine.
This is probably the earliest American runaway slave advertisement to feature an accurate likeness of its subject.
Sancho escaped from a Mississippi plantation and was presumed to have made his way north. Winthrop Sargent (1753-1820), who has signed the notice in print, had served as an officer in the Revolutionary War officer. He later became governor of Mississippi Territory and a plantation owner in Natchez, Mississippi. He offers a reward of up to $100 for Sancho's return and presents an extraordinary portrait of Sancho, "a good likeness," presumably made from a cut paper silhouette.
Sancho is described as "a Negro man, thirty years of age, about 5 feet high, very black complexion . . . & a fast walker." He "had learned the trade of a Barber and is in every respect a most accomplished servant for a gentleman or a family; was born and educated in his master's house; endeared to him and his mistress and his own wife and children, as well as the numerous blacks of his Master's Plantations, by long, affectionate and faithful services." Sargent suggests that Sancho was so loyal that he must have "been inveigled away by some artful villains for their own use."
A landmark portrait in the history of American slavery.
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Details
- Seller
- 19th Century Rare Book and Photograph Shop (US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 32820680
- Title
- Portrait of a runaway enslaved man titled “A Good Likeness of Sancho” in the Columbian Centinel
- Author
- (SLAVERY AND ABOLITION.)
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Columbian Centinel
- Place of Publication
- Boston
- Date Published
- 30 September 1807
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
Terms of Sale
19th Century Rare Book and Photograph Shop
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About the Seller
19th Century Rare Book and Photograph Shop
Biblio member since 2011
Stevenson, Maryland
About 19th Century Rare Book and Photograph Shop
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- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...