Figure018

Citation

David James Van Meter and Martha Avery Van Meter. “David James Van Meter and Martha Avery Van Meter.” circa 1859. Gregory Fried Collection. Mirror of Race, 11 Feb. 2021, mirrorofrace.bc.edu/items/show/249. Accessed 7 June 2025.

Title

David James Van Meter and Martha Avery Van Meter

Subject

David James Van Meter and Martha Avery Van Meter

Creator

David James Van Meter and Martha Avery Van Meter

Date

circa 1859

Type

studio portrait

Identifier

Figure018

Rights Holder

Gregory Fried Collection

Original Format

ambrotype

Physical Dimensions

Sixth Plate (2.75 x 3.25 inches) (pair)

Factual Commentary

Van Meter has posed holding a copy of W. O. Blake’s History of Slavery and the Slave Trade, Ancient and Modern. The title on the book’s spine can be seen by magnifying and reversing the image:Blake’s History was first published in 1857 by J. & H. Miller of Columbus, Ohio and sold exclusively by subscription. Blake’s History is a vast overview of the historical forms of slavery, treating the subject up to the debates over Kansas in the US Congress. It strives to maintain “objectivity,” but is clearly abolitionist in its didactic intent. The Van Meters lived near Rock Island, Illinois, and Van Meter’s posing with this book seems a clear declaration of his views on the slavery question. Presented below are the title page, two page Preface, and an illustration of a slave ship, all from Blake’s History:

Interpretive Commentary

For an exhibition of portraits of abolitionists, please see this link on the Mirror of Race website.http://mirrorofrace.org/abolitionits-page/

Alternative Title

Collection

Mirror of Race