Dave the Slave

Dave the Slave (also "Dave the Potter" and "David Drake") is the most commonly used moniker of an influential American potter who lived in Edgefield, South Carolina and produced alkaline-glazed stoneware pottery from the 1820s to the 1860s. He was an enslaved African-American, and often signed his works "Dave." [1]

After emancipation he adopted the last name "Drake," presumably after Harvey Drake who was his owner until 1832 and who is presumed to have taught him to be a potter. [2]

Dave was born about 1801 and died in the mid 1870s. [3]

Pottery

• Dave frequently adorned his work with short poems and couplets. This unusual feature of his work is now one of his most famous trademarks. Some collectors and scholars have suggested that Dave's poetry should be characterized as an early act of sedition in the cause of civil rights, because at the time it was generally forbidden for African-Americans to read and write. [4]

• Pieces by Dave frequently feature the initials "LM." This stood for Lewis Miles, the man who owned the pottery workshop where Dave worked (and possibly owned Dave for a time). [5]

• In contemporary auctions and sales, his work has sold for over $40,000 per piece. [6]

• His pottery is part of the Civil War collection at the Smithsonian. [7]

External links

• Dave: A Literate Slave (Includes Photos)
• Dave the Slave and Edgefield District Pottery Photos - SCIway.net, South Carolina Information Highway
• http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/stoneware0904.htm
• http://www.museum.state.sc.us/culturalhistory/AfricDave.html
• http://www.leonardtodd.com

Persondata
Name	David Drake
Alternative names	Dave the Slave
Short description	Potter
Date of birth	December 13, 1826
Place of birth	Unknown
Date of death	October 28, 1865
Place of death