Enslaved Workers Washing for Diamonds in Brazil Engraving, 1815

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This antique engraving shows enslaved workers washing for diamonds in Brazil, an original print published in London by Thomas Kelly … Read more This antique engraving shows enslaved workers washing for diamonds in Brazil, an original print published in London by Thomas Kelly in 1815. The plate carries the historical title "Negroes washing for diamonds in Brazil", which is quoted here as printed; it records the use of slave labour in the Brazilian diamond fields and the terminology of the period. Beneath a long open shed with a thatched roof, rows of enslaved men stand in a sloping trough, washing gravel from the river beds in search of diamonds, while overseers sit on raised stools above them, watching closely for any stone that might be concealed. The arrangement follows s of the diamond washings of Minas Gerais, around the town of Tijuco, published by travellers such as John Mawe, who visited the district in the early nineteenth century. The diamond works were a Portuguese royal monopoly, and the labour was carried out by thousands of enslaved Africans and their descendants under strict supervision. The imprint reads "London: Published by Thomas Kelly, Paternoster row" with the date July 1815, the day being faint in this impression. Kelly published geographies, voyages and histories in parts for a wide readership, and this plate belongs to that output, though the specific book is not named. The engraver is not identified. It is an upright line engraving printed in black and is uncoloured. This Brazil engraving is a significant historical document of slavery and mining in South America, of interest to collectors of Brazilian and Latin American history, of the history of diamonds and of the Atlantic slave trade. It is best displayed with context, framed in a study or library alongside other early views of Brazil. The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning and a scattering of small spots in the margins; the engraved image itself is clean and well printed. This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. See less