Directions: Now that you have reconstructed what you think slave housing was like in 18th century Colonial America, take a look at the visuals below and compare your reconstructions to what you find in the paintings. While doing this remember these are mostly paintings and not photographs and so carry the biases of the artists.

1. Do the slave houses depicted below confirm your impressions from the written record? If so, explain how.
2. Are slave houses depicted below different from your reconstruction? If so, explain how.
3. In your mind are there descrepencies between the visual record and the written record? What are they? Why do you think these descrepencies exist?

After answering these questions and developing new conclusions, move on to the next page, Historical Context: Museums, to see how historical house museums have tried to interprete 18th century slave housing.

Historical Context: Written Record

Colonial Diversity

Please send comments to: atucker@nvcc.edu

Updated March 30, 2005