This is a sculpture from Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux entitled "The Negrees." To represent Africa , Carpeaux chose the tragedy of slavery.
The twisting movement and facial expression of the bound woman are emphasized by the words on the base.
“Why be born a slave?” This was one of my favorite pieces from the Indianapolis Art Gallery. I actually cried when I first saw it. The sculpture depicts a strong black woman, you can see the strength in her eyes but you can also see much pain in her face. There is roping across her breast and at the top of her shoulders. As I looked at the sculpture and realized the strength the sculpture portrayed I thought about how enslaved women would draw strength from each other to keep their family going. This was an awesome and emotional piece of art for me and I will always remember the meaning and feeling that it gave me. As a Black woman it helped me see another example of where we came from.
In viewing the statute, it is giving us an idea of where African-American Literature began. Before the American Civil War, African-American Literature was primarily based on slavery, racism, culture and equality. At a later point the literature began to incorporate oral forms such as spirituals, sermons, gospel music and blues.
One of history's earliest African-American authors was Jupiter Hammon who was considered as the first published Black writer in America. Jupiter published the poem "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries."
