Early 19th Century Anti-Slavery Clay Tobacco Pipe Bowl
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1810-1850
Measuring approximately 3 1/4 by 1 5/8 by 3/4 inches, the bowl features poignant anti-slavery imagery, with the obverse depicting a kneeling enslaved person and the reverse showing the personification of Liberty holding a Liberty Pole topped by a Liberty Cap.
The design is stylistically related to the famous "Am I Not A Man & A Brother" motif established by the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the late 18th century. The bowl is decorated with a vining foliate pattern along its side seams and bears the impressed mark "CC". These pipes are associated with production centers in eastern England, such as Hull, Gainsborough, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Wisbech, and Norwich.
The object shows signs of its age, including tobacco residue, browning, toning, and minor losses near the stem connection point.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- clay
- Dimensions
- 3 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3/4 in
Design
- Decor
- vining foliate design
- Obverse
- kneeling slave
- Reverse
- personification of Liberty with Liberty Pole and Cap
- Markings
- CC
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.