Rare Abolitionist Poem Discovered

A rare poetry manuscript by William Wells Brown, the noted escaped slave and abolitionist lecturer and novelist, has been found in a Victorian scrap book.

Besides a few dozen letters, the auctioneers have been unable to trace any other examples of Brown's original manuscripts.  Manuscripts by Brown are rare and the appearance of this poem on the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic Slave Trade is made even more pertinent by a current exhibition at Newcastle University entitled ‘Fling out the Anti-Slavery Flag’.

Recently discovered in a Victorian scrap book, the manuscript poem is signed by Wells Brown and dated Bridgwater, 16th May 1851, a few days after he spoke to the people of Bridgwater in the Public Rooms alongside another fugitive slave. The poem was published in 1848 in 'The Anti-Slavery Harp; A Collection of Songs for Anti-Slavery Meetings'.

The one-page 32-line poem entitled 'Fling Out The Anti-Slavery Flag' was probably a keepsake, rather as one collects autographs, by a lady or gentleman from south-west England and, from circumstantial evidence in the album, possibly named A. Haddy and with Quaker or Baptist convictions.

The manuscript was offered for sale by Dominic Winter Book Auctions and www.the-saleroom.com on 3rd October, 2007 and was bought by an American collector over the telephone for £6400 hammer price from an estimate of £3,000-5,000.

The-saleroom.com brings around 90,000 lots a month offered for sale by around 47 reputable regional salerooms across the country to anyone online. A live audio feed of the sale comes through your computer allowing you to place a bid alongside those attending the sale in person. The site is run by the publishers of the Antiques Trade Gazette, the weekly antiques bible for trade and collectors for 35 years and regularly hosts around 30 sales a month.
 

 

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