Black and tan chessboard used by Herman Wallace while incarcerated
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1994
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Unidentified
label: Owned by
content: Herman Wallace, American, 1941 - 2013
label: Subject of
content: Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, American, founded 1835
notes: label: Caption
content: Wallace was an avid chess player. The collection includes homemade and mass produced chess boards and pieces. He wrote that he saw the game as a powerful humanizing force which helped him and fellow inmates use their minds towards a positive and productive pursuit. Wallace used the game to strategically inspire camaraderie, eliminate violence, and establish a network of empowerment, entirely lacking in an environment purposefully inhumane and hopeless.
label: Description
content: A black and tan cardboard chessboard used by Herman Wallace while incarcerated at Angola Prison. This chessboard features a prominent jagged split across the middle, alongside various wear and tear from use. On the playing side, one of the four corners, is a small white label with black type that reads: [100% COTTON / MADE IN CHINA]. On the reverse of the board are splotches of black ink, illegible inscriptions with “1994”, and an unrelated transparent deodorant label.
place: label: Place used
content: Angola, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: American South
label: Topic
content: Men
label: Topic
content: Mental health
label: Topic
content: Prisons
label: Topic
content: Recreation
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Herman Wallace Archival Collection
label: Classification
content: Toys and Games
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Maria Hinds
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: A2018.36.1.12.1
objectType: label: Type
content: checkerboards
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on cardboard
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 13 3/8 × 13 3/8 × 1/4 in. (34 × 34 × 0.7 cm)