Broadside offering reward for the capture of Maria, Susan, and Harriet Johnson
date: label: Date
content: March 15, 1848
name: label: Created by
content: Charles Alexander Burnett, American, 1769 - 1849
label: Printed by
content: Murphy's General Printing Establishment, American
label: Subject of
content: Susan Johnson
label: Subject of
content: Harriet Johnson
label: Subject of
content: Maria Johnson
notes: label: Description
content: A letterpress broadside offering a reward for the capture of Maria, Susan and Harriet Johnson, three fugitive enslaved girls owned by Charles Alexander Burnett. The broadside features large, bold, black print, which from top to bottom reads: [$250 / REWARD! / RANAWAY FROM THE SUBSCRIBER / 3 NEGRO GIRLS / MARIA JOHNSON, aged about 25 years, SUSAN JOHN- / SON, aged about 20 years, both full faces, thick set, and / rather dark mulattoes. Susan has a defect in one arm, / which causes her to use it somewhat awkwardly. HAIR - / RIET is about 13 years old, small and much darker com- / plexion than the others. All are sisters, and, at the time / they ran off, were serving as house-servants. / $100 each will be given for Susan and Maria, and $50 / for Harriet, if delivered to me in Georgetown, D. C., or / lodged in Baltimore County, or Montgomery County Jail. / For further information call on C. Levering & Clark, / Baltimore, or the subscriber. / C. A. BURNETT, / GEORGETOWN, D. C. / March 15, 1848. / Printed at MURPHY’S General Printing Establishment, 178 Market street, Baltimore.].
label: Description
content: After printing, Burnett apparently requested several edits to make the three sisters easier to spot. The changes were added in manuscript, noting that Maria "is darker than a mulatto"; Susan "is a light mulatto" with a "scar on her left elbow"; and Harriet "is short but heavy . . . and is left-handed." The docketing on verso reads "1848 C.A. Burnett vs. 3 girls."
place: label: Place depicted
content: Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
label: Place printed
content: Georgetown, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Children
label: Topic
content: Families
label: Topic
content: Fugitive enslaved
label: Topic
content: Self-liberation
label: Topic
content: Slavery
label: Topic
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Slavery and Freedom Objects
label: Classification
content: Memorabilia and Ephemera - Advertisements
label: Exhibition
content: Slavery and Freedom
label: On View
content: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2020.26.8
objectType: label: Type
content: broadsides
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on wove paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 11 3/4 × 9 1/2 in. (29.8 × 24.1 cm)