Uncle Tom
Entry ID
-
60 (18/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
-
Uncle Tom
Description of the sculpture
-
A painted spelter bust of 'Uncle Tom' who was in real life the Reverend Josiah Henson, a former slave who later became an author, minister and abolitionist. He was involved in the Underground Railroad and founded a refuge community for former slaves in Canada. On the base of the statue is a small plaque in bas relief depicting a scene from 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe, showing Eva and Uncle Tom.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
-
Bust – Portrait
Base
-
Base present - appears to be the original base
Dimensions
-
Height: 48.3 cm
-
Width: 33 cm
-
Depth: 17 cm
Materials
-
Metal (unidentified)
-
Paint / pigment
Specific techniques used
-
Casting
-
Polychromy
Overall colour
-
Monochrome – black
Inscriptions
-
Front, under relief of characters: 'EVA AND UNCLE TOM'
-
Reverse: 'W. CHAS. MAY. Sc. / LONDON 1876.'
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
-
Identifiable: specific individual
Identity of Black person (real or fictive)
Role within sculpture
-
Main protagonist
Gender
-
Male
Age
-
Adult
-
Senior
Status
-
Free citizen
Clothing
-
Wearing clothes – European/Western clothing
Evidence of enslavement
-
None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
-
None
Action or activity
-
Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
-
Calm
-
Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
-
Looking sideways
Sculptural context
-
No location included/implied
Sculptor
Period of production
-
Nineteenth century (1800-1899)
Date of Production
-
1876
Date inferred from
-
Recorded in inscription
Price history
-
1972: valued at £100 (£978.52 in 2021)
Original purpose
-
Commemorative
-
Decorative
Original display setting
-
Unknown
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
-
1972.273
Provenance history
-
1972: gifted to the American Museum & Gardens
Notes
-
Currently on display in the American Museum's Civil War Gallery.
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/513, . (no date) ‘Uncle Tom’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/517
