David Drake
Three-Gallon Jug

MakerAmerican, 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
On view

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
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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