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Unique Vision of Willie Howard

An 1870s writing desk by Willie Howard, a freed slave in Mississippi, is now at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

An 1870s writing desk by Willie Howard, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Source: The New York Times

Freed slave Willie Howard only has two known works, two 1870s desks covered in strange applique, including snakes and kitchen appliances. In a strange coincidence, the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts each bought one of these pieces in a January antiques fair. Little is known of Willie Howard’s life except he worked as a slave on the Kirkwood Plantation near Jackson, Alabama. Experts posit his work is an expression of post-war trauma finding voice in new-found creative freedom. Read more about this here.

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