An envelope for an abolitionist

[Slavery]. - Marshall, John. [Engraved abolitionist envelope].

€ 350,00

An anti-slavery engraved envelope published by John Marshall of Leeds, celebrating the role of the British Empire in the suppression of the slave trade. The envelope is illustrated with a small family in the foreground, with broken shackles at their feet; over their shoulders, a flag and British ships at sail announce which nation is responsible for this change in circumstance. Surrounding the scene an emblazoned text reads, "Thus spake Britannia, Empress of the Sea, / thy chains are broken, Africa be free!" to further underscore the point. As many British abolitionists were also staunch evangelists, propped open in the lap of the man is a book whose pages read Isaiah 58:6 ("Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?").

Unused and in excellent condition, the envelope bears the additional imprint, "Sold by Jane Jowett, 3 Camp Lane Court, Leeds". Jane Jowett's name is associated with at least one other Leeds anti-slavery publication: an engraving and poem published in 1853 and titled, "The Slave Auction" in the Leeds Anti-Slavery series No. 88, a less triumphant piece which focuses on the suffering inherent in any slave society.