Slave Pottery

Ceramic pottery vessels crafted by slaves. Three kinds of pottery have been associated with African American slaves. The first type of slave pottery, called colonoware, was made by slaves throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and is found today at archeological sites in South Carolina and Virginia. This very simple pottery reflects the fact that enslaved people had no specialized equipment. Colonoware was made of clay fired at low temperatures, using simple wood fires instead of kilns. Slaves made primarily utilitarian items such as bowls, plates, jugs, and pipes. For many years, archeologists believed that Native Americans made the colonoware found at sites where slaves lived, but most scholars now believe that African Americans made the pottery because the colonoware resembles pottery found in parts of West Africa.

The second kind of pottery associated with slaves is alkaline or ash-glazed stoneware made in pottery works in South Carolina throughout much of the nineteenth century. Often, these pottery works were staffed by slave craft workers. The most famous of these craftsmen was Dave the Potter, who made thousands of vessels in what is now called the Old Edgefield District in the western part of South Carolina. Dave was born into slavery in about 1800 and probably worked for some of the families who ran the pottery manufacturing companies in the area. [Page 757]After emancipation, Dave took the name of his last master, which was Drake.

Dave the Potter's work is extraordinary for several reasons. First is the size of the pottery vessels he crafted. Many will hold from 25 to 40 gallons of liquid, which means that Dave must have been a man of great strength to manipulate 50 pounds of clay on a foot-operated treadle wheel. Legend has it that Dave had only one leg, which makes his accomplishment even more remarkable. In addition, Dave signed his work, the only slave potter ever to do so. He also wrote verses on his pots, indicating that he could read and write.

Many scholars feel that Dave sent covert messages through his verse, lamenting his situation. One verse seems particularly plaintive, perhaps referring to the fact that families of slaves were routinely separated: “I wonder where is all my relations/Friendship to all and every nation.” Dave the Potter's works are in museums across the country and are highly valued.

The third kind of pottery associated with slaves includes what are known as “Afro-Carolinian face vessels,” also called “face jugs,” “ugly jugs,” “effigy jugs,” “slave jugs,” or “voodoo pots.” These are made of stoneware with an ash glaze, similar to the Edgefield pottery crafted by Dave the Potter. The containers are usually made without handles or spouts and are decorated with faces intended to be frightening. Kaolin clay, a type of white clay, was used to make sharp white teeth and protruding eyeballs on these demonic-looking effigies.

The face vessel jugs were made from the early nine teenth century onward, primarily in South Carolina and Georgia. There are various stories about how they were used. Potter Jim McDowell—who still makes the jugs today, engraving them with verse in honor of Dave the Potter—says the jugs were placed on graves to keep evil spirits away. Southern lore suggests that they were often used to store moonshine, or homemade whiskey, and the scary face on the jar was intended to keep children away. The origin of the jugs is unclear. Some scholars believe that they were inspired by African vessels used in various religious rituals; others say they were inspired by European models.

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