An Auction of Enslaved People in Richmond, from "Le Monde Illustré"

Art Historical Context

In the stark wood engraving *An Auction of Ensl People in Richmond*, published in the French weekly *Le Monde Illustré* March 23, 1861, artist Edmond Morinafter Bourcier) captures a harrowing scene from America's domestic slave trade. Rendered in intricate black-and-white lines typical of 19th-century wood engraving technique prized for its precision and suitability for mass reproduction in illustrated periodicals—the image measures about 9 by 13 inches and depicts men, women, children, and even dogs gathered at a public auction block in Richmond, Virginia, a notorious hub for such sales. This print holds profound historical significance, appearing just weeks before the Civil War's outbreak in April 1861. Richmond's shockingly active slave market fueled the Confederacy's economy, with thousands of enslaved people—often families torn apart—sold annually. Published in France, where abolitionism had long taken root, it served as visual journalism, raising European awareness of U.S. slavery's brutality and underscoring transatlantic debates on human rights. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Donato Esposito, 2018), this engraving reminds us of illustration's power to document injustice, blending artistic detail with unflinching social commentary.

About the Artist

Edmond Morin|Bourcier · 1824–1882

Edmond Morin (1824-1882) was a French painter, illustrator, and printmaker whose prolific career spanned both fine art and popular illustration, though he remained disappointed by greater recognition for his commercial work than his paintings. Born in Le Havre, Morin studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Charles Gleyre before spending eight formative years in London (1849-1857), where...