Fiber artist Stephen Beal’s embroidered inventory and appraisal of the estate of a slave owner — someone who happened to be a very distant relative of his. The artist was given the actual document a few years ago and conceived this stark, stunning piece.
Read down the document. See how “goods” are lumped together. And wait until you get to “Old Milly.”
That is extraordinary. What an amazing project.
I scrolled down that list and got all quiet and still inside. Like, what is there to say about it. Man.
Do you see “Old Milly” on the far left there, about two-thirds down?
“Old Milly 76 years 00”
She’s valued at nothing.
Lump in my throat.
Yes, I did see that. Brutal. Inhuman.
Wow. Poor Old Milly. Not even valued the same as a shovel. Horrible.
Yet, at the same time, note the well over 3/4 of this guy’s net worth (outside his land and home) is the value of his slaves. 50K in 1862 would be just over 1M in today’s dollars… So this guy had estimated his slaves at about $800,000! You can see why , as sick as it is, this guy would be against emancipation.
Logically, it would have been far cheaper for the US to buy all the slaves plus give subsidies to pay for the labor, that decided to stayed on the plantation for many, many years. And we’re just talking about the cost to the federal budget, not the confederate budget and the incalculable human loss. 20/20 hindsight would make you think that a prescient South would have figured this out… but no one could imagine what the Civil War would cost in lives and dollars, and, even if they did, I think that the slave holding population could not, or would not, think “outside the box” in order to come up with a peaceful solution… Nor would the North dignify a solution that they would have to “pay” to give any human their God endowed right of liberty (which is ironic knowing that indentured servitude existed WELL into the 20th century, in the North and the West)
….AND I getting too, uh, didactic, so I’ll end my screed now.
JFH — Seriously, I’m starting to think you think I am retarded or something.
Do you really think I’m stupid and need educating? I get it. I’m blonde. I have big boobs. So I’m dumb, right?
I feel it only fair to warn you: Your comments are starting to REALLY frustrate me and that’s putting it mildly, JFH.
I feel that you don’t always have a good sense of time and place and context. Does this post about a piece of art really warrant a speech about what should have happened, what the South should have done, etc.? Does a post about lacrosse warrant a speech about Title IX? Does a link to a post about an office weirdo warrant a dissertation on flags?
It’s exhausting, JFH. Come on! Give a poor big-boobed bimbo a break, okay???
You’re able to admit you’re being didactic … and yet you don’t stop.
What’s the disconnect here??
This is a “true and perfect inventory”??
I’m gonna be sick.
Interesting on so many levels.
“ALL OF WHICH IS HEREBY CERTIFIED UNDER OUR HANDS” Oh my. Under their hands? *shiver*
I’m glad they didn’t say “THIS DAY OF OUR LORD…” when posting the date.
Also, the art is incredible on a couple levels: He makes it look almost like a cross-stitch pattern – the kind you see on the wall in certain types of kitchens, with Bible verses on it, or hopeful homespun messages. True Americana. Arts and crafts. Usually used to either create something practical (a tablecloth, napkins) – or something inspirational – to decorate a wall – “Home is where the heart lies” or something like that – and here, to take that same homey arts-and-crafts style – to depict a list of human property – as much a part of American history as other, more good and wholesome things – is really creative and disturbing.
The other thing it made me think of is Schindler’s List. The blatant fact of tallying up human life – only in that case, the “list”, as brutal as it was, was deciding who would LIVE – but the principle is the same – In such times, human life is quantifiable, you can list it out, and give it a certain value. It is not valuable just in and of itself. It’s chilling.
Between Old Milly and the children–wow and oof.
(BTW I saw “Schindler’s List” for the first time just recently–that’s a very astute comparison Sheila made.)