1880 (ca.), Thomas Satterwhite Noble, The Last Sale of Slaves in St. Louis, Missouri -- National Gallery of Art (Washington) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: A son and grandson of slaveholders, Noble grew to reject the institution of slavery and produced a series of antislavery paintings, including this scene on the steps of the St. Louis courthouse. Noble captured the city’s final slave auction that took place on January 1, 1861, when a group of abolitionists deliberately bid low to sabotage the event. As the auctioneer gestures to encourage bids, onlookers appear distracted, and only one man raises his hand.
1880 (ca.), Thomas Satterwhite Noble, The Last Sale of Slaves in St. Louis, Missouri -- National Gallery of Art (Washington) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: A son and grandson of slaveholders, Noble grew to reject the institution of slavery and produced a series of antislavery paintings, including this scene on the steps of the St. Louis courthouse. Noble captured the city’s final slave auction that took place on January 1, 1861, when a group of abolitionists deliberately bid low to sabotage the event. As the auctioneer gestures to encourage bids, onlookers appear distracted, and only one man raises his hand.