Bell Rack on Model, museum in Mobile, Alabama
Dublin Core
Title
Bell Rack on Model, museum in Mobile, Alabama
Subject
Gailliard, Richbourg
Fugitive slaves--Alabama--Mobile--1840-1870
United States--Alabama--Mobile
Fugitive slaves--Alabama--Mobile--1840-1870
United States--Alabama--Mobile
Description
This is a contraption used by an Alabama slave owner to guard a runaway slave. This rack was originally topped by a bell which rang when the runaway attempted to leave the road and go through foliage or trees. It was attached around the neck as shown in the picture. A belt passed through the loop at the bottom to hold the iron rod firmly fastened to the waist of the wearer. In this photograph, Richbourg Gailliard, assistant to the director of the Federal Museum and also a well-known young Mobile artist, poses to show the use made of the bell rack.
Creator
Mobile, Russell
Source
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Publisher
Portraits of African American ex-slaves from the U.S. Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers' Project slave narratives collections
Date
Between 1937 and ca. 1938
Rights
No known restrictions on reproduction.
Format
Image
Language
English
Type
1 photographic print : gelatin silver ; 7 x 5 in.
Identifier
Call Number: LOT 13262-1, no. 6 [P&P]
https://lccn.loc.gov/99615417
https://lccn.loc.gov/99615417
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1 photographic print : gelatin silver
Physical Dimensions
7 x 5 inches
Citation
Mobile, Russell, “Bell Rack on Model, museum in Mobile, Alabama,” HIST 390 The Digital Past: A Cultural New Deal, accessed September 18, 2026, https://jessicadoeshistory.com/cnd/items/show/54.