The history of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-trade by the British Parliament. Vol. 2 , Thomas Clarkson; London, Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme

Artwork Overview

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Thomas Clarkson, author
1760–1846
, publisher
The history of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-trade by the British Parliament. Vol. 2 , 1808
Material/technique: engraving
Dimensions:
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 463 x 415 mm
Object Length/Width (Length x Width): book 21 x 13.7 cm
Credit line: Special Collections, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, KU Libraries
Accession number: EL2025.072
Not on display
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Label texts

Soundings: Making Culture at Sea

Thomas Clarkson was an abolitionist committed to raising awareness about the evils of slavery. His book, which traced the social activism that successfully made the British trade of enslaved people illegal, included this diagram of a slave ship. The image shows kidnapped Africans packed into a ship’s hold for the Atlantic crossing known as the Middle Passage. Used on posters and pamphlets to make slavery’s inhumanity visible, the diagram has become an iconic image of slavery referenced by contemporary artists today.

Exhibitions

Soundings: Making Culture at Sea
Celka Straughn, curator
Emily C. Casey, curator
2025