Auction
Dublin Core
Title
Auction
Subject
Slave trade, abolitionism, auction
Description
Henry Bibb escaped slavery in 1838 and became a leading figure in the fugitive slave community in Canada. In his memoir, he described an auction of enslaved people: "The slaves were offered on the auction block one after another, until they were all sold before their old master's face . . . .After the men were all sold they then sold the women and children. They ordered the first woman to lay down her child and mount the block; she refused to give up her little one and clung to it as long as she could . . . ."
Creator
Henry Bibb
Source
Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave, Written by Himself
Publisher
New York
Date
1850
Contributor
Library of Virginia
Rights
Work is Public Domain; image from Library of Virginia
Format
Engraving
Identifier
13_0776_003
Citation
Henry Bibb, “Auction,” To Be Sold: Virginia and the American Slave Trade, accessed October 31, 2025, https://virginiamemory.com/online-exhibitions/items/show/374.