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When Simpson exhibited this picture of a black slave at the British Institution in 1829 one critic writing in 'The Atlas' congratulated him on creating such an 'unaffected expression of grief' that 'appeals directly to the heart, untricked with the fashionable and theatrical ornaments of modern taste'. Around this time the anti-slavery movement in Britain was gaining popular support. By 1833 Parliament had voted for the emancipation of slaves, making Britain the first colonial power to abolish slavery. Large-scale images of slavery were rare before its abolition; however, images such as 'Head of a Negro' would have struck a cord with audiences increasingly intolerant of the injustices of slavery.
November 1995