The Milwaukee Art Museum Just Returned Two Ceramics Made by Enslaved Potter David Drake to His Descendants

The Milwaukee Art Museum has returned two stoneware jars, created by the 19th-century enslaved ceramicist David Drake, to his descendants. The two works were previously on loan to the museum but are now being displayed there permanently. The pots were crafted by Drake, who lived in Edgefield, South Carolina, and lived in a region known for its clay-rich soil.

Drake, who was born into slavery around 1800, managed to inscribe poems and his name onto many of his pots despite the prohibition against slave literacy. One of the jars, from 1840, bears the inscription "Dave belongs to Mr. Miles / where the oven bakes & the pot biles." The Milwaukee Art Museum acquired the artifacts from the Dave the Potter Legacy Trust, an organization formed after one of Drake's "poem jars" sold for $1.56 million in 2021.

The trust argues that Drake's works have significant commercial value, yet his descendants have historically been excluded from the economic benefits of his labor. The museum's acquisition of Drake's work represents a significant step in restitution, as it joins other institutions in transferring ownership of Drake's pieces back to his family.

Last year, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston returned two Drake vessels to his family, marking the first such restitution in U.S. history. Drake's descendants have recovered six of his pieces so far, with hopes to acquire all of them by 2027.