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The Freedman

1863, cast 1891
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 762
Ward began modeling The Freedman shortly before the Emancipation Proclamation took effect, freeing more than 3.5 million enslaved people in the Confederate states. The broken shackle in the figure’s clenched hand and the one remaining on his left wrist offer succinct commentary on the era’s chief political and moral topic. Although emancipated and gazing ahead, the Black man is represented seated and seminude, reinforcing a transitional status between enslavement and full standing in citizenship and humanity.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Freedman
  • Artist: John Quincy Adams Ward (American, Urbana, Ohio 1830–1910 New York)
  • Founder: Cast by Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company (ca. 1882–1926)
  • Date: 1863, cast 1891
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 19 1/2 x 14 3/4 x 9 3/4 in. (49.5 x 37.5 x 24.8 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Charles Anthony Lamb and Barea Lamb Seeley, in memory of their grandfather, Charles Rollinson Lamb, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.394
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

Audio

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4343. The Freedman

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More Artwork

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Study of a Neo-Classical Full-length Female Figure (from Sketchbook), John Quincy Adams Ward American, Graphite on paper, American
Study of a Neo-Classical Full-length Female Figure (from Sketchbook)
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ca. 1860
Mythological Figure Group (from Sketchbook), John Quincy Adams Ward American, Graphite on paper, American
Mythological Figure Group (from Sketchbook)
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Dying Warriors (from Sketchbook), John Quincy Adams Ward American, Graphite on paper, American
Dying Warriors (from Sketchbook)
John Quincy Adams Ward
ca. 1860
Study of Seated Male Figures for Sculpture Base (from Sketchbook), John Quincy Adams Ward American, Graphite on paper, American
Study of Seated Male Figures for Sculpture Base (from Sketchbook)
John Quincy Adams Ward
ca. 1860
Study of Cupid (from Sketchbook), John Quincy Adams Ward American, Graphite on paper, American
Study of Cupid (from Sketchbook)
John Quincy Adams Ward
ca. 1860

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