{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O127370"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127370/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2007BM3208/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2007BM3208/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2007BM3208","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O127370/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O127370","accessionNumber":"29187:23","objectType":"Print","titles":[{"title":"Popular Tales","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"Maria Edgeworth was born in Oxfordshire but spent most of her life in Ireland managing her father’s estate. Like other women writers of the time she began by writing for her friends and family before she achieved publication, producing letters, stories to amuse her siblings and plays that the whole family could perform. Once she achieved publication all of her stories were written with a moral purpose.\r\n\r\nHer <i>Popular Tales</i> were originally published in 1804 and included ‘The Grateful Negro’ which was set in Jamaica around the central drama of a slave rebellion. The story was informed by Bryan Edward’s <i>History of the British West Indies</i> (1792). Edwards was a planter who sought the amelioration of slave conditions in preference to the more dramatic changes demanded by abolitionists which, he felt, would cause more harm than good. The central moral of ‘The Grateful Negro’ reveals that the planter who manages his estate in a humane way (Mr Edwards – pictured here trustingly lending his knife to Caesar, a black slave) escapes the rebellion unscathed while the bad planter, Mr Jeffries, narrowly escapes death and ends in penury. The story was published at a key moment in the slavery debate, just three years before the British trade in slaves was abolished.","physicalDescription":"Title page of a book 'Popular Tales' by Maria Edgeworth which includes an illustration of a scene from the story 'The Grateful Negro': the scene depicts glade in rich tropical foliage (including sugar cane in background?). Gourds/pumpkins to right. Many birds. At centre black man in white skirtcloth (Caesar) steps forward to receive a small handknife from a white man (Mr Edwards, the plantation owner) in a wide-brimmed hat and long striped coat. He is using the knife to cut down a branch and has his back to us. In the background to the left another black man is sawing and behind the central black figure, who holds some sort of tool, is a dark-skinned woman.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Harvey, W.","id":"A18456"},"association":{"text":"engraver","id":"x30810"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Engraving","categories":[{"text":"Black History","id":"THES48989"},{"text":"Slavery & Abolitionism","id":"THES49008"},{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"},{"text":"Caribbean","id":"THES286921"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2007BM3208"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF (VA)","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"TOPIC","shelf":"4","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"print","id":"AAT41273"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"Yes-general","note":"NB: The term \"negro\" was used historically to describe people of black African heritage but, since the 1960s, has fallen from usage and, increasingly, is considered offensive. The term is repeated here in its original historical context."}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x35383"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1832","earliest":"1832-01-01","latest":"1832-12-31"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x30682"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Length","value":"44","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"overall","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"35","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"overall","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"17.7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"title page","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"11.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"title page","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Popular Tales / In Two Volumes / by/ Maria Edgeworth. / Vol. II\r\nImage signed 'W. Harvey' (on left) and 'F. Engleheart' (right). Quotation under image - 'Caesar had no knife. \"Here is mine for you,\" said Mr. Edwards.' The Grateful Negro, page 250.\r\nLondon, Baldwin & Cradock, Paternoster Row / And Other Proprietors. 1832.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"NB: The term \"negro\" was used historically to describe people of black African heritage but, since the 1960s, has fallen from usage and, increasingly, is considered offensive. The term is repeated here in its original historical context.\r\n\r\nAccessions register notes - 12 April 1881, 29179-29193. From E. Parsons, 286 pieces, £16 \"14 \" 6.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Title page of Maria Edgeworth's 'Popular Tales' which includes an illustration of a scene from the story 'The Grateful Negro', 1832","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"Published in London by Baldwin & Cradock, Paternoster Row, 1832","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"Jamaica","id":"x30045"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"slaves","id":"AAT230899"},{"text":"plantations","id":"AAT240"},{"text":"Birds","id":"x35043"},{"text":"Pumpkin","id":"x39512"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["Popular Tales by Maria Edgeworth","The Grateful Negro by Maria Edgeworth"],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["29187:23"],"accessionNumberNum":"29187","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-09","recordCreationDate":"2006-08-24","availableToBook":false}}