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"Destruction of the Roehampton Estate," Adolphe Duperly (1833); Portrait of Elizabeth Barrett Browning from The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (London,1889-90)

"Destruction of the Roehampton Estate," Adolphe Duperly (1833); Portrait of Elizabeth Barrett Browning from The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (London, 1889-90)

In the scope of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's (hereafter EBB) poetic ouevre, five poems can be identified as addressing, whether overtly or obliquely, the ongoing issue of slavery. Each piece marks a particular moment in EBB's ideological trajectory, moving from her juvenilia, represented in “The African” (early 1820s), to apprenticeship poems like "The Appeal" (1833), to her much-discussed mature works “The Runaway Slave of Pilgrim’s Point” (1848), “Hiram Powers’ Greek Slave” (1850), and “A Curse for a Nation” (1856). By contextualizing these particular pieces both within their respective historical moments and our own contemporary perspectives, this COVE edition seeks to explore the nuances of power relations inherent in ongoing issues of race, gender, and class, seen in both the dynamics inherent in EBB's positionality as a white woman descended from a plantation-owning family, writing about the plight of enslaved people, and the broader system of racial inequity that persists into the present.

Timelines, Galleries, and Maps

First Exhibitions of Hiram Powers's "Greek Slave" | Map

In 1843, American sculptor and artist Hiram Powers completed the first rendition of his statue, the Greek Slave. Initially created as a representation of Turkish atrocities committed during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829), the statue "became one of the most popular, frequently replicated, and widely exhibited works of art in America and Europe" within…

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Hiram Powers's Greek Slave and Related Images | Gallery Exhibit

In a November 26, 1869, letter to E. W. Stoughton, Hiram Powers recounts the history behind his inspiration for the Greek Slave. He describes the emotional distress caused by Turkish atrocities—namely, genocide and enslavement—enacted during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) and configures the Greek Slave as a representation of the innocence,… more

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Richard Barrett's Story of a Runaway Slave (c. 1819) | Gallery Exhibit

Richard Barrett (1789-1839) was a cousin of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's father, Edward Barrett Moulton Barrett. Richard Barrett was a prominent political figure for much of his life, speaking in Britain's Parliament on behalf of the Jamaican legislature on matters concerning slavery and emancipation. Though he defended the interests of the slaveholders at the time of the… more

Posted by Emily Crider on

"The African" Manuscript (c. 1820s) | Gallery Exhibit

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's original manuscript of "The African" was completed in the early 1820s when EBB was in her early teens. One source of inspiration for the narrative poem came from her cousin, Richard Barrett, who owned sugar plantations in Jamaica. EBB kept Barrett's written account of… more

Posted by Emily Crider on

Key Locations: EBB and the Landmarks of Slavery | Map

This map includes paratextual information about significant places that help to illuminate and contextualize Elizabeth Barrett Browning's anti-slavery poetry. Charting these locations situates EBB's work within the larger, globalized framework of her own family history, drawing direct connections to their centuries-long standing as wealthy plantation owners in the…

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Key Events: EBB and the Road to Abolition | Timeline

This timeline tracks key events in the life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, her anti-slavery poetry, and the fight for abolition across the British Empire and the United States. In doing so, it contextualizes EBB and her work within the scope of nineteenth-century sociopolitics and culture, charting historical moments of overlap and divergence between the two.

Posted by Emily Crider on

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