“Negro Funeral”

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

George Fuller (1822-1884) was an artist from Deerfield, Massachusetts. He drew this hasty sketch of an African American funeral in Alabama in 1858. The sketch and his memories of this event formed the basis for his painting, “Negro Funeral, Alabama”, currently in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Enslavers generally allowed the enslaved to conduct their own funeral services. White plantation owners often required that deceased enslaved people be buried in more remote areas of a plantation. This racially-motivated arrangement may have provided African American mourners more privacy and control over burial rites.

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Details

Item typeArtwork
Drawing
CreatorFuller, George
Date1858
PlaceAlabama
TopicAfrican American, Black Life
Slavery, Indenture
EraNational Expansion and Reform, 1816–1860
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatGraphite, pencil
Dimension detailsHeight: 5.50 in Width: 10.75 in
Catalog #1994.20.03.55
View this item in our curatorial database →
Fuller, George. Negro Funeral. 1858. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1994-20-03-55/. Accessed on December 5, 2024.

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