The Old Plantation
Encyclopedia
The Old Plantation is an American
folk art
watercolor that was likely painted in the late 18th century on a South Carolina
plantation
. It is notable for its early date, for its credible, non-stereotypical depiction of slaves on the North American mainland, and for the fact that the slaves are shown pursuing their own interests. The artist has been identified as South Carolina
slaveholder John Rose, and the painting may depict his plantation in what is now Beaufort County
.
sited on a broad river. The Old Plantation is the only known painting of its era that depicts African Americans by themselves, concerned only with each other, though its central activity remains obscure. Some writers have speculated that the painting depicts a marriage ceremony, with the attendant tradition of jumping the broom
. However, scholars have suggested that the subjects are performing a secular dance: western African dance patterns traditionally include sticks and a variety of body positions. The headdresses pictured are of West Africa
n origin.
The painting features two male musicians, one of whom is playing a stringed instrument that resembles a Yoruba molo
; the body of this instrument seems to be a hollow gourd
. The molo is a precursor to the banjo
, and this is the earliest known American painting to picture a banjo-like instrument. The second musician is playing a percussion instrument that may be a Yoruba gudugudu
. The two women hold what look like scarves, but are actually sheguras, rattles made of a gourd enclosed in a net of variable length into which hard objects have been woven.
prior to 1935, when it was purchased by Holger Cahill from Mary E. Lyles of Columbia, South Carolina
. However, in 2010, Susan P. Shames, a librarian at Colonial Williamsburg
, published a book titled The Old Plantation: The Artist Revealed in which she argues the artist was South Carolina plantation owner John Rose. Shames further suggests that the image depicts slaves on Rose's plantation in what is now Beaufort County, South Carolina
, or one nearby.
In 1775 Rose was named Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in Beaufort District, an appointment implying his educated status and familiarity with governing officials. By 1795, he owned a lot in the town of Beaufort
, as well as a rural, 813-acre tract on the Coosaw River in Prince William Parish. He farmed the latter property with the help of slaves, at least fifty of whom have been identified by name (and likely he owned others). Shames suggests that the slaves and plantation depicted in the image were Rose's own. However, the broad river in the middle ground raises questions about whether Rose owned property on both sides of this natural boundary and, thus, whether he depicted his own dwelling and outbuildings in the background, or a neighbor's. In 1795, Rose moved to the Dorchester
area in present-day Colleton County and, in 1820, he died in Charleston
, from a fall from a horse.
In his will, Rose left his watercolor of dancing slaves to his son-in-law, Thomas Davis Stall (1770–1848). According to Shames, it remained in the family for more than a hundred years, until it was finally sold at an auction of the estate of Rose Rowan Ellis Copes (1846–1927) of Orangeburg, South Carolina
, probably in 1928 or 1929. It was bought either by an unidentified interim dealer or by Mary Earle Lyles (b. 1878) of Columbia. It was certainly in Lyles' possession by 1935, when it was purchased by Holger Cahill, acting as agent for Abby Aldrich Rockefeller
. According to Lyles, however, it was painted on a plantation between Charleston and Orangeburg. A watermark
on the paper has been identified as that used by the English papermaker James Whatman
II (1741–1798) between 1777 and 1794.
Rockefeller and Cahill transferred the painting to Williamsburg, Virginia
to be part of the Rockefeller collection at the Ludwell-Paradise House. It was later made a gift to Colonial Williamsburg
. The painting is currently held by the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
in Williamsburg.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk art
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
watercolor that was likely painted in the late 18th century on a South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. It is notable for its early date, for its credible, non-stereotypical depiction of slaves on the North American mainland, and for the fact that the slaves are shown pursuing their own interests. The artist has been identified as South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
slaveholder John Rose, and the painting may depict his plantation in what is now Beaufort County
Beaufort County, South Carolina
-National protected areas:*Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge *Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 155,215 people, 45,532 households, and 33,056 families residing in the county. The population density was 206 people per...
.
Description and interpretation
The painting depicts African American slaves between two small outbuildings of a plantationPlantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
sited on a broad river. The Old Plantation is the only known painting of its era that depicts African Americans by themselves, concerned only with each other, though its central activity remains obscure. Some writers have speculated that the painting depicts a marriage ceremony, with the attendant tradition of jumping the broom
Jumping the broom
Jumping the broom is a phrase and custom relating to wedding ceremonies in different cultural traditions: "many diverse cultures, those of Africa − Europe including Scotland, Hungary and Gypsy culture – include brooms at wedding rituals." It is particularly associated with the Romani gypsy people...
. However, scholars have suggested that the subjects are performing a secular dance: western African dance patterns traditionally include sticks and a variety of body positions. The headdresses pictured are of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n origin.
The painting features two male musicians, one of whom is playing a stringed instrument that resembles a Yoruba molo
Xalam
Xalam, also spelled khalam, is the Wolof name for a traditional stringed musical instrument from West Africa. The xalam is thought to have originated from modern-day Mali, but some believe that, in antiquity, the instrument may have originated from ancient Egypt...
; the body of this instrument seems to be a hollow gourd
Gourd
A gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. Gourd is occasionally used to describe crops like cucumbers, squash, luffas, and melons. The term 'gourd' however, can more specifically, refer to the plants of the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita or also to their hollow dried out shell...
. The molo is a precursor to the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, and this is the earliest known American painting to picture a banjo-like instrument. The second musician is playing a percussion instrument that may be a Yoruba gudugudu
Gudugudu
Gudugudu is a traditional drum used by the Yoruba ethnic group of Nigeria. The gudugudu, being a member of the dundun family of drums, is said to mimic speech. Some commentators think that the gudugudu drum is so melodic and danceable that it can sustain a melody without accompaniment...
. The two women hold what look like scarves, but are actually sheguras, rattles made of a gourd enclosed in a net of variable length into which hard objects have been woven.
Artist and provenance
For decades the identity of the artist was unknown, as was the painting's provenanceProvenance
Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...
prior to 1935, when it was purchased by Holger Cahill from Mary E. Lyles of Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. However, in 2010, Susan P. Shames, a librarian at Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
, published a book titled The Old Plantation: The Artist Revealed in which she argues the artist was South Carolina plantation owner John Rose. Shames further suggests that the image depicts slaves on Rose's plantation in what is now Beaufort County, South Carolina
Beaufort County, South Carolina
-National protected areas:*Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge *Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 155,215 people, 45,532 households, and 33,056 families residing in the county. The population density was 206 people per...
, or one nearby.
In 1775 Rose was named Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in Beaufort District, an appointment implying his educated status and familiarity with governing officials. By 1795, he owned a lot in the town of Beaufort
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
, as well as a rural, 813-acre tract on the Coosaw River in Prince William Parish. He farmed the latter property with the help of slaves, at least fifty of whom have been identified by name (and likely he owned others). Shames suggests that the slaves and plantation depicted in the image were Rose's own. However, the broad river in the middle ground raises questions about whether Rose owned property on both sides of this natural boundary and, thus, whether he depicted his own dwelling and outbuildings in the background, or a neighbor's. In 1795, Rose moved to the Dorchester
Dorchester, South Carolina
Dorchester was a town in South Carolina. Situated on the Ashley River around from Charleston, it was founded in February 1696 by the followers of Reverend Joseph Lord from Dorchester, Massachusetts, who gave it the same name of the town whence they had emigrated, which was in turn named after the...
area in present-day Colleton County and, in 1820, he died in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, from a fall from a horse.
In his will, Rose left his watercolor of dancing slaves to his son-in-law, Thomas Davis Stall (1770–1848). According to Shames, it remained in the family for more than a hundred years, until it was finally sold at an auction of the estate of Rose Rowan Ellis Copes (1846–1927) of Orangeburg, South Carolina
Orangeburg, South Carolina
Orangeburg, also known as "The Garden City," is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city is also the fifth oldest city in the state of South Carolina. The city population was 12,765 at the 2000 census, within a Greater Orangeburg...
, probably in 1928 or 1929. It was bought either by an unidentified interim dealer or by Mary Earle Lyles (b. 1878) of Columbia. It was certainly in Lyles' possession by 1935, when it was purchased by Holger Cahill, acting as agent for Abby Aldrich Rockefeller
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, , was a prominent socialite and philanthropist and the second-generation matriarch of the renowned Rockefeller family...
. According to Lyles, however, it was painted on a plantation between Charleston and Orangeburg. A watermark
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
on the paper has been identified as that used by the English papermaker James Whatman
James Whatman (papermaker)
James Whatman , the Elder, was a paper maker, born in Kent, who made revolutionary advances to the craft in England. He is noted as the inventor of wove paper , an innovation used for high quality art and printing...
II (1741–1798) between 1777 and 1794.
Rockefeller and Cahill transferred the painting to Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
to be part of the Rockefeller collection at the Ludwell-Paradise House. It was later made a gift to Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
. The painting is currently held by the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum is a museum located in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Initially based on donations from Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, it was founded in 1957 and then subsequently expanded to contain a much higher number of objects of folk art...
in Williamsburg.
Works cited
.....- Stillinger, Elizabeth (2002). "From Attics, Sheds, and Secondhand Shops: Collecting Folk Art in America, 1880–1940". In Clayton, Virginia Tuttle, Drawing on America's Past: Folk Art, Modernism, and the Index of American Design, pp. 45–60. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0894682954. Retrieved June 17, 2011.