Objects Search Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
B2016.03.15 |
Object Name |
Painting |
Title |
Octagon House Slave Quarter |
Museum |
Alexandria Black History Museum |
Description |
Although Sanabria describes this room as a slave quarter, the Octagon Museum interprets it as a wine cellar, as supported by the arched brick shelving. Enslaved workers at the house likely slept on straw mattresses in or near their work spaces. Designed by William Thornton, Octagon House was built between 1799 and 1802 for Ann and John Tayloe III. As plantation owners, the Tayloes owned hundreds of enslaved people and historical documents indicate that enslaved people helped construct the Octagon. During the Tayloe family's residence, twelve to eighteen enslaved people worked at the Octagon. After Ann Tayloe death in 1855, her sons began renting out the house. In 1898, the American Institute of Architects (AIC) leased the building and it became their national headquarters. They renovated the Octagon, eventually buying it in 1902. The Octagon opened as museum in 1970. This painting is part of Sherry Z. Sanabria's "Sites of Conscience" series. |
Material |
Museum Board |
Artist or Maker |
Sherry Z. Sanabria |
Date |
2003 |
Dimensions |
H-39.5 W-32 inches |
Search Terms |
Houses Wine cellars |
Subjects |
Houses Wine cellars |
Related People |
Sanabria, Sherry Z. |