Illustrated Slave: Empathy, Graphic Narrative, and the Visual Culture of the Transatlantic Abolition Movement, 1800-1852

The popular and frequently reprinted antislavery illustrated books published prior to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) have been an important piece of the visual culture of slavery, but have gone unexamined. Martha J. Cutter's The Illustrated Slave analyzes some of these works and argues that they attempt to shift a viewing reader away from pity and spectatorship into a mode of empathy and interrelationship with the enslaved. She also contends that some illustrated books characterize the enslaved as obtaining a degree of control over narrative and lived experiences.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2020
Publisher: University of Georgia Press

Slavery, as a system of torture and bondage, has captivated the optical imagination of the transatlantic world for centuries. Scholars have delved into various aspects of the visual culture associated with slavery, including painting, sculpture, pamphlet campaigns, and artwork. However, an important facet of this visual culture has remained largely unexamined: the popular and frequently reprinted antislavery illustrated books published prior to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) that were extensively utilized by the antislavery movement in the first half of the nineteenth century.

The Illustrated Slave aims to analyze some of the most innovative works in the archive of antislavery illustrated books published from 1800 to 1852, alongside other visual materials that depict enslavement. In her book, Martha J. Cutter makes a compelling argument that certain illustrated narratives strive to shift the viewing reader from pity and spectatorship into a mode of empathy and interrelationship with the enslaved. She further suggests that some illustrated books portray the enslaved as gaining some degree of control over narrative and lived experiences, even if these representations imply that the story of slavery itself is beyond representation. Through an exploration of famous works such as Uncle Tom's Cabin, as well as lesser-known ones by authors like Amelia Opie, Henry Bibb, and Henry Box Brown, Cutter delineates a mode of radical empathy that seeks to dismantle divisions between the enslaved individual and the free white subject, as well as between the viewer and the viewed.

This book offers a valuable contribution to the study of slavery and visual culture by shedding light on the lesser-known antislavery illustrated books and their role in shaping public perception and understanding of the institution. It provides a fresh perspective on the complex and multifaceted nature of slavery and its impact on individuals and society. The Illustrated Slave is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of slavery, visual culture, and the struggle for abolition.

Weight: 524g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780820358758