VERY RARE ID'd Boarding House Children / Siblings Abolitionist Society For Sale

Here is an image you are very unlikely to have seen before and will probably have a very long wait before one turns up again.. it is an extremely rare CDV, with identification, showing three African slave children in Brazil, photographed by Alberto Henschel, in Pernambuco. The children are identified on the front and back of this image; they were siblings, and slaves at Mrs. Cowie's boarding house in Recife, Pernambuco.

Their names were Jose, Rosaria, and Franceline, or Franca. The siblings and their mother were slaves of Mrs. Margareth Cowie, a Scottish widow, who owned and operated the boarding house where they worked. When the children's mother Felizarda died, Margareth sold Jose and he was sent to Rio De Janiero. Note that on the back he is identified as Jose Arthur Pearson.. I believe that was his new name.. this last photo of the siblings together might have been taken at the time he was sold.

Another interesting note about these children was that shortly after Jose was sold, the Abolitionist Society offered Mrs. Cowie a substantial amount of money for the girls, but she refused, saying she would consider it again in possibly six years, "when they were older and better able to take care of themselves". That is all the info I know about these three children, but there's a great chance more can be found online with a little bit of research.

CDV is approximately 4" x 2.5". Very good or better antique condition.

Boxed & signed Priority Mail.

7522C

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slave slavery