Black Land Loss Narrative Archive Project

11/05/2025

Our founder, George Fatheree, at the helm of another groundbreaking reparative justice case.

In a historic resolution, the MFA has restored ownership of two monumental stoneware vessels by the enslaved potter and poet David Drake (also known as Dave the Potter) to his known descendants.

Both works were made in 1857 at the Stony Bluff Manufactory in Edgefield, South Carolina and would have been sold to benefit Drake’s enslaver, Lewis J. Miles. The "Poem Jar," which the artist inscribed with a rhymed couplet, was repurchased by the MFA from the artist's descendants and will remain on view in our Art of the Americas Wing. The "Signed Jar" will remain at the Museum on long-term loan from the family.

In achieving this resolution, we recognize that Drake was deprived of his creations without his consent or compensation. This marks the first time that the Museum has resolved an ownership claim for works of art that were wrongfully taken under the conditions of slavery in the 19th-century U.S.

📰 More information about this landmark agreement is available in our press release: http://ms.spr.ly/6186tDP9m

📷: David Drake's descendants Pauline Baker, Daisy Whitner, John Williams, and Priscilla Williams Carolina with the artist's “Signed Jar” (1857).

11/05/2025

Our founder and true champion of justice, George Fatheree, at the lead of another groundbreaking case.

In a historic resolution, the MFA has restored ownership of two monumental stoneware vessels by the enslaved potter and poet David Drake (also known as Dave the Potter) to his known descendants.

Both works were made in 1857 at the Stony Bluff Manufactory in Edgefield, South Carolina and would have been sold to benefit Drake’s enslaver, Lewis J. Miles. The "Poem Jar," which the artist inscribed with a rhymed couplet, was repurchased by the MFA from the artist's descendants and will remain on view in our Art of the Americas Wing. The "Signed Jar" will remain at the Museum on long-term loan from the family.

In achieving this resolution, we recognize that Drake was deprived of his creations without his consent or compensation. This marks the first time that the Museum has resolved an ownership claim for works of art that were wrongfully taken under the conditions of slavery in the 19th-century U.S.

📰 More information about this landmark agreement is available in our press release: http://ms.spr.ly/6186tDP9m

📷: David Drake's descendants Pauline Baker, Daisy Whitner, John Williams, and Priscilla Williams Carolina with the artist's “Signed Jar” (1857).

04/22/2025

Would you or someone you know like to share their story of Black land loss? Visit us now at www.blacklandloss.org/share-your-story

03/15/2025

Check out our launch video:

"A DESPERATE PLEA" is an informational sizzle reel that gives an overview of the history and mission of the Black Land Loss Narrative Archive Project.