Figure 3

Citation

Myron H. Kimball (New York). “Wilson Chinn.” 1863. Greg French Collection. Mirror of Race, 11 Feb. 2021, mirrorofrace.bc.edu/items/show/128. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Title

Wilson Chinn

Subject

Wilson Chinn, a branded slave from Louisiana

Creator

Myron H. Kimball (New York)

Date

1863

Type

Studio Portrait

Identifier

Figure 3

Rights Holder

Greg French Collection

Original Format

Carte de visite, albumen print

Factual Commentary

Wilson Chinn, who escaped from slavery during the Civil War, poses here with the instruments of bondage and punishment used on slaves, both to restrain their movement and to terrify them. Chinn participated in a series of such photographs in part to help educate people about the violence involved in the system of slavery. As one of the measures of control employed on Chinn, his former master branded him with the initials VBM, for Volsey B. Marmillion, a sugar planter in the New Orleans area. More images from series of former slaves may be seen on the Mirror of Race website in the special exhibition entitled “Slaves in Black and White.”