We have a 1787 antislavery medallion in our Racial Equality Collection.
The design was created by Josiah Wedgwood’s pottery firm. The British abolitionist seal features the slogan “am I not a man and a brother?”. Josiah Wedgwood was friends with Thomas Clarkson, an abolitionist campaigner and the first historian of the British abolition movement. This aroused his interest in slavery. The inscription 'Am I Not a Man and a Brother? ' became the catchphrase of British and American abolitionists.
A kneeling figure with pleading hands asks humbly for compassion, poses no threat through rebellion or resistance, and would gratefully receive freedom. It has been observed, however, that the image does not encourage solidarity with the slave, but instead it invites a paternalistic association with the morally righteous abolitionists who will answer the captive’s question by releasing his chains.