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part i: alcohol

How did ceramic jugs get from the basement of an old brick building in Providence to the coast of West Africa? A visit to Market House.

▼ TRANSCRIPT

Objects:

A cream ceramic bottle with a thick rounded lip tapering out to a cylindrical body. There is a dark rust colored spot and a blue line.

American

Hiram Wheaton & Sons Beer Bottle, 1875

Stoneware with salt glaze and cobalt

Museum Works of Art Fund 44.378.2

A round, sand colored jug with a small, rounded handle. Blue colored text is stamped into the body of the jug, on the left side. Legible text reads, “PROV RI.”

American

Kenyon Smith & Co. Jug, ca. 1890

Stoneware with salt glaze and cobalt

Gift of the RISD Nature Lab 1998.12

Additional Resources:

Dark Work: The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island

Christy Clark Pujara

Legacies of the Slave Trade

Chris Roberts

Alt-text coming soon

Illustration of Market Square, n.d. Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Contributors:

Kajette Solomon

Social Equity and Inclusion (SEI) Program Specialist at the RISD Museum

Chris Roberts

Assistant professor of Theory and History of Art and Design at RISD