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Mary
Black Craftspeople Digital Archive
Mary
1762, Charleston, South Carolina
On July 26, 1762, Mary self-emancipated from her enslaver, John-Paul Grimke. In his advertisement seeking her return, Grimke noted that Mary was “well-known about town and entertained in several houses about needlework.” Though an enslaved woman, Mary’s talents earned her acclaim amongst white Charlestonians. For more on Mary, Click Here.
Contextualization
The Black Craftspeople Digital Archive departs from traditional art history object-study methods by centering on the lives and experiences of Black craftspeople. Among the questions we ask of objects are: How is craft knowledge produced by Black life? How does the object currently speak to the craftsperson’s legacy? What were the craftsperson’s experiences? This postcard was conceived by the BCDA in response to an invitation by the MA in Critical Craft Studies’ cohort of ’21. For more on the BCDA’s object-study methods, please visit the website. https://archive.blackcraftspeople.org/