Description

Engraved envelope, 70 x 120 mm. An anti-slavery engraved envelope published by John Marshall of Leeds, celebrating the role of the British Empire in the suppression of the slave trade. The envelope is illustrated with a small family in the foreground, with broken shackles at their feet; over their shoulders, a flag and British ships at sail announce which nation is responsible for this change in circumstance. Surrounding the scene an emblazoned text reads, "Thus spake Britannia, Empress of the Sea, / thy chains are broken, Africa be free!" to further underscore the point. As many British abolitionists were also staunch evangelists, propped open in the lap of the man is a book whose pages read Isaiah 58:6 ("Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"). - Unused and in excellent condition, the envelope bears the additional imprint, "Sold by Jane Jowett, 3 Camp Lane Court, Leeds". Jane Jowett's name is associated with at least one other Leeds anti-slavery publication: an engraving and poem published in 1853 and titled, "The Slave Auction" in the Leeds Anti-Slavery series No. 88, a less triumphant piece which focuses on the suffering inherent in any slave society. - In excellent condition.