Slave families were affected by the laws and conditions of slavery. In this photo, taken in Virginia in 1862, it is impossible to determine the biological relationship between the five adults and five children. The location of the photograph, in front of what was probably their shared home, and position of the children, on the laps of or very near the adults, still communicate the emotional bonds of family.
G. H. Houghton, Photographer. “Family of Slaves at the Gaines’ House in Hanover County, Virginia.” 1862. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
Image featured in Investigating Family, Food, and Housing Themes in Social Studies by Cynthia Resor
This image would be interesting when teaching children about slavery and slave families. You can tell that some of these families are large and lived in crowded living conditions. I think photos like this are great resources to use. I could pair this with children’s literature about slavery such as Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad.
Very interesting primary source! This would be great for talking about slavery and showing what they went through because although they may not be biological family, they are still sharing a home and they have the bond that an actual biological family would. It would be a great thing to explain to students to describe to them some of the things slaves had to face.
This image would be great to use on a unit of slavery and slave families in the classroom.
This image would work well show how slaves lived in the 1860s which could be different from the early 1800s. This image could also work well to show how slaves depended on their large families for help and support.
This image would be useful when teaching about slavery. Students will get a better understanding of slave families and how they lived.
This primary source image would be perfect for teaching about the terrible impact of slavery on families.
This is an interesting primary source! This is a useful photograph to show students the clothing, family size, and living conditions of slaves in the 1860’s. This pictures allows students to build a connection rather than only read words in a book. For example, in the classroom we read Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this photo will help students connect to the characters.