The Resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia
Lithograph by Samuel Rowse
One of the most dramatic escapes from slavery was made by Henry Brown of Richmond in 1849. Brown shipped himself to freedom in a crate as railroad freight and was forever after known as Henry "Box" Brown. The VHS recently acquired this rare lithograph titled The Resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia. It shows the moment that the box was opened and Brown emerged. Once free, Brown received international acclaim and decided to produce a theatrical presentation featuring a moving panorama depicting slavery.
This print by Samuel Rowse was issued to help raise funds for the panorama. The print the VHS acquired is one of only three known originals, though many other likenesses of Brown were later drawn based on this one. The inscription on the back of the print, "From Samuel May, 1889," could refer to two Samuels Mays who knew Brown. The Rev. Samuel J. May was a Unitarian minister in Philadelphia, and his nephew, Samuel May, Jr., was an agent for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society who first announced Brown's dramatic feat to the public. A complete, new account of this dramatic tale appears in the book, The Unboxing of Henry Brown, written by Jeffrey Ruggles, VHS associate curator for prints and photographs.
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