Physical Qualities
Earthenware, transfer-printed and luster decoration, 5 5/8 x 6 1/8 x 4 1/2 in. (14.3 x 15.6 x 11.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Arthur J. Gutman, Baltimore
Object Number
2000.191
Two Black sports stars—Tom Molineaux (1784–1818), a self-emancipated American boxer, and NFL player Colin Kaepernick (born 1987)—appear on these jugs as icons for the advancement of racial justice in their times. Sports-themed, anti-slavery messages have appeared on pitchers in U.S. and English taverns, marketplaces, and homes as far back as the 18th century. In 1810, Molineaux fought Tom Cribb (1781–1848), England’s champion boxer, losing in the 35th round. Following rumors that Cribb rigged the fight, Molineaux became a symbol of the abolitionist movement, appearing in messages supporting the freedom and fair treatment of Black people. On Patriot Jug, Erickson positioned an image of Kaepernick’s bended-knee stance, taken to protest the oppression of Black Americans, alongside a 19th-century image of an enslaved African
woman advocating for freedom. Surrounding these calls for justice, Erickson included words which evoke social change: “Equality” from a 2017 Nike ad campaign, “Freedom” in Arabic, and “Justice” in Hebrew.
Image included on label: Unknown Artist. Pin cushion. c. 1827. National Maritime
Museum, Greenwich, London, Michael Graham-Stewart Slavery Collection. Acquired
with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund, ZBA2453
Inscribed: No makers mark, “Since boxing is a manly game, / And Britons recreation; / By boxing we will raise our fame, / ‘Bove any other nation. / Throw pistols, poniards, swords a side, / And all such deadly tools,; Let boxing be the Britons pride, / The science of their schools.”
Maker
Unidentified
