This print depicts a person suspended by the ribs from a large wooden gallows structure. The person appears to have dark skin and short, dark hair, and their hands seem to be tied behind their back. They are mostly nude, except for a thin cloth around their waist. The scene includes skeletal remains and bones scattered on the ground below. Two skulls are mounted on poles in the background, and in the distance, a ship can be seen on the water on the right. The print is in dark lines on beige paper, and there are two lines of text at the bottom.
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This print depicts a person suspended by the ribs from a large wooden gallows structure. The person appears to have dark skin and short, dark hair, and their hands seem to be tied behind their back. They are mostly nude, except for a thin cloth around their waist. The scene includes skeletal remains and bones scattered on the ground below. Two skulls are mounted on poles in the background, and in the distance, a ship can be seen on the water on the right. The print is in dark lines on beige paper, and there are two lines of text at the bottom.

National Gallery of Art · Print

A Negro hung alive by the Ribs to a Gallows

William Blake after John Gabriel Stedman

Date
1792
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 28.8 × 20 cm (11 5/16 × 7 7/8 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1943.3.1828
Credit line
Rosenwald Collection
Time span
1776 to 1800
Department
CG-E

Portfolio and series

Series
Stedman's "Narrative, of a Five Years' Expedition"

Subjects and terms

  • British
  • Death
  • Male figure
  • Skull
  • Writing

NGA object ID 4986. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.