The art pictured below is a jug sculpted by David Drake out of Edgefield, SC. The large Alkaline-glazed Stoneware is a brown-speckled color with the top broken, most likely from the condition it was stored over the years before it was placed in the museum. This 1858 jug is on loan to the Gibbes Museum from the International African American Museum and is displayed alongside some slave badges. By coming to view this jug, viewers can learn about his struggle as a slave.The jug is also very thought-provoking in the idea that David Drake could have possibly been risking his life to write on his pottery which shows viewers the slaves’ desire to find unique forms of retaliation to show their indignation and to fight for their freedom.

David Drake, often referred to as Dave the Potter or Dave the Slave, is famous for the pottery he created throughout his life. Born in America around 1801, Drake spent much of his life enslaved; however, he took up the art of pottery around age seventeen. After the death of his first master, Drake was moved to Landrumsville, SC, the second of what would be five different masters. Drake produced numerous large pots, like the one in the Gibbes museum. Some of his famous pots could hold up to 40 gallons of water, being some of the largest handmade pots in U.S. history. 

The most characteristic element of Drake’s pottery, however, is that he often wrote on the works he created. The jug in the Gibbes Museum was dated 1858 and signed “Dave”. Even though it was illegal for slaves to read and write, Drake wrote on his pottery knowing the risks, likely as his own form of self-rebellion to the discrimination he faced everyday. David Drake is said to have learned how to read and write from his first master Harry Drake. Harry Drake felt it was important for his slaves to read and write so that they could study the Bible more extensively. Although he had a total of five different masters, David Drake carried these skills with him wherever he was sent and displayed them through his art. While he dated and signed the Edgefield jug that is displayed in the Gibbes Museum, he also often wrote couplets on some of his other pieces; one of his most famous couplets being “put every bit all between / surely this jar will hold 14.” For a period of time, he also signed his jars with the initials “L.M” in reference to the initials of his current master of the time.

Starting in 1840, Drake, still making pottery, did not inscribe most of his jars. It is believed that this was a time of uncertainty for Drake where he may have felt that he would be in danger if he exhibited his ability to read and write. At the time in nearby Atlanta, GA, there were plans of a slave uprising to occur in 1841, which is likely part or what prevented Drake from signing most of his jars. 

After the emancipation in 1863, David Drake took the last name of his first master, who taught him to read and write. Drake continued to work in pottery once he was freed, being listed in the census as having the occupation of turner. The last jug credited to Drake was dated 1863, meaning he spent over 30 years making jugs. He is thought to have died sometime in the 1970’s, although the exact date is unknown.

The fact that Dave the Potter signed his art during a time when it would ilegal for him to isvery significant. He challenged the idea that he could be punished for writing on his art since he felt it was necessary to do so. Drake, at one point in his life, likely received criticism for the decision to inscribe his pottery but continued to do so, possibly in retaliation to his masters or others who tried to put limits on him. His jugs are now on display in many museums not only because of how visually appealing they are, but because of his story and his fight against discrimination through his art.

Sources:

Blumberg, Naomi. “Dave the Potter.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2014, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dave-the-Potter. Accessed 23 September 2021.

“Dave the potter – Pottersville, Edgefield County, South Carolina.” SCIWAY, https://www.sciway.net/afam/dave-slave-potter.html. Accessed 23 September 2021.

Noyes, Chandra. “David Drake: Poet, Potter, Slave.” Art and Object, 11 Feb. 2020, https://www.artandobject.com/news/david-drake-poet-potter-slave. Accessed 23 September 2021.

Finkel, Jori. “The Enslaved Artist Whose Pottery Was an Act of Resistance.” The New York Times, 17 June 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/arts/design/-enslaved-potter-david-drake-museum.html.  Accessed 23 September 2021.