David Drake
Three-Gallon Jug

Public Domain

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Images(3)

Maker David Drake(American, c. 1801–1870s)American, c. 1801–1870s

CultureAmerican

Titles

Three-Gallon Jug

Date1859

Made inEdgefield District, South Carolina, United States

MediumAlkaline-glazed stoneware

Dimensions14 1/4 × 11 1/2 in. diameter (36.2 × 29.2 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase

Object numberB.98.14

Current Location

The Audrey Jones Beck Building

108 Hevrdejs Gallery

Exposé

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

CERAMICS

DescriptionEnslaved potter David Drake worked in the potteries of the Edgefield district of western South Carolina, where a large stoneware pottery industry began to flourish in the early 1800s. Much of the labor at these potteries was done by enslaved workers, who were often hired out by their owners to work for others. At a time and place where literacy was illegal for those who were enslaved, Drake signed many of his pots, and inscribed on some verses of poetry he had written. This jug is inscribed with the initials “L. M.”, referencing Lewis Miles, who enslaved Drake,
and is dated May 21, 1859.
Provenance[Tony L. Shank, Marion, South Carolina]; purchased by MFAH, 1998.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Inscribed below handle: III

Marked at front shoulder in script: LM / May 2.1859 [Probably the initials of Lewis Miles who acquired ownership of Dave in 1849]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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