Slaves concealing their master from a search party, c.1880-90 (etching)

Depicts an enslaved woman, barefoot and wearing a kerchief on her head, directing mounted Federal soldiers elsewhere as her master hides within the slave cabin. The dog that accompanies the search party appears half-wild and vicious, sniffing at the doorstep of the cabin. Certain elements of the sketch suggest a violent disruption to this domestic scene. A chair is overturned; a small child cowers in distress, clinging tightly to his father. The man on the stool in front of the fireplace with the frying pan and the plate of food on the table suggest that the family was preparing a meal when the master barged in, demanding refuge. Whether or not the protection offered to the master by his slaves was voluntary is unclear, since the gentleman is armed with a small pistol. Size in extent is for the mount.