Red Water: the body as a logo
In runaway advertisements, illustrations of Black bodies tell an elaborate story
Historians believe that over 100,000 Black Americans escaped the corporation of slavery before the Civil War. The desired destinations of these persons depended on their current location, knowledge, and connections. While these Americans risked their lives for their freedom, slave owners used hundreds of tactics in hopes of capturing what was once theirs. One of these tactics included occupying advertising space in local newspapers.
Seeking compensation, slave hunters and jailers would also post advertisements describing the slaves in their custody. In these advertisements, slavers would describe perceived physicality, personality, and backstory in a few sentences. Illustrations accompanied these advertisements, and routinely featured a Black body in movement, at times carrying a sack on a stick or looking behind their back.
In other runaway illustrations that put the Black body in “respectable” clothing, the intention was to incite the subjugation of free Black persons in America who were also incredibly vulnerable to kidnappings and violence during this time. The story of Solomon Northup shows us the extents of slave hunters who were a part of this profitable industry.
These illustrations would allow readers to easily find runaway related advertisements in thousands of local newspapers in America. During the early 18th century, the silhouette of the Black body was used as a logo for the slave trade, and inevitably Black bodies everywhere.
The use of these logos during this time speaks to the perception of Black Americans and Black identity. These logos communicate that the Black body is an enslaved body, one to be captured and sold. The decision to illustrate these Black bodies in movement also alludes to the fear of Black autonomy and the demise of American slavery, which more importantly meant the demise of America’s economy.
This article is an excerpt from my book, My Skin My Logo: America, Hate, Love & Graphic Design.
Red Water Writing Playlist
- Body of Water x Tierra Whack
- Bad Habit x Steve Lacy
- This Hell x Rina Sawayama
- Amphetamine x Smino
- Starry Eyes x The Weeknd
