Jar by enslaved potter David Drake on display for America’s 250th
A jar with a poem inscribed on it made by Dave the Potter, an enslaved African American in South Carolina, will go on display at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston for America’s 250th birthday. Dave was born in Edgefield around 1800 and is one of a small group of enslaved potters whose personal artistry has been identified. Defying South Carolina laws that said it was illegal for enslaved people to be taught to read and write, Dave signed his works and inscribed poetic turns of phrase on them.