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Description
ARMISTEAD (Wilson).
A tribute to the Negro: being a vindication of the moral, intellectual and religious capabilities of the coloured portion of mankind; with particular reference to the African race.
Manchester: William Irwin; London: Charles Gilpin; New York: WM. Harned; Philadelphia: H. Longstreeth, G. W. Taylor, 1848. — In-8, 215 x 136: frontispiece, XXXV, 564 pp., (2 ff.), 7 portraits, 2 (of 4) plates. Violet cloth, with a triple blind-stamped border on the covers; spine and front cover adorned with a separate gilt plate; gilt edges (publisher’s binding).
A rare first edition of this work by the writer and abolitionist Wilson Armistead (1819–1868), dedicated to James Pennington, Frederick Douglass, Alexander Crummell, ‘as well as to many other admirable examples of the black race’.
It is a plea in favour of the moral, intellectual and religious capacities of people of colour, with a particular focus on the African race. The work forms part of the 19th-century anti-slavery movement and aims to demonstrate the achievements of African Americans through biographies (including those of Toussaint Louverture, Henry Highland Garnet and Phyllis Wheatley), whilst denouncing scientific racism and slavery.
To make his case, Armistead employs a comparative strategy: he draws parallels between the cruelties of ancient Rome and contemporary practices, in order to promote a progressive vision of abolition.
An illustrated copy featuring 10 out of 12 plates, including 7 engraved or lithographed portraits. The last two engravings are missing; they are captioned respectively: ‘Gang of slaves journeying to be sold in a Southern Market’ and ‘Sale of Estates, Pictures and Slaves in the Rotunda, New Orleans’. Several copies we have found were also missing certain plates.
A copy from the library of the artist, adventurer and ethnographer Herbert WARD (1863–1919).
A tireless explorer, Herbert Ward led a life as rich as it was extraordinary. Born in London in 1863, he began with expeditions to New Zealand and Australia, before joining Stanley’s missions in the Congo between 1884 and 1888 – a formative experience that left a lasting mark on his life. On his return to Europe, he married, started a family with five children, and embarked on a second career as an artist: a sculptor and Orientalist painter, he settled in France, in Paris and Rolleboise, where he became a leading figure in the art world.
His body of work, encompassing both literature and the visual arts, sought to immortalise the African peoples and landscapes he had encountered. He published stories, including *Chez les Cannibales*, and created sculptures and paintings capturing ‘wild’ humanity in its natural environment, with an emotional depth praised by critics. An ethnographer and historian, he built up a collection of weapons and a library specialising in Africa. He died in Paris on 7 August 1919, aged just 56.
A copy in the publisher’s deluxe binding, featuring on the front cover a depiction of a chained slave, with the caption: ‘Am I not a man and a brother?’
Spine faded, with scuffing and wear to the leather. The inner hinge of the front cover is split. A few scattered foxing spots; some quires are misaligned. Creases at one corner of several leaves in quires D, E and F.
Provenance:
Herbert and Sarita Ward, with an ex-libris designed by Herbert Ward and engraved by Emery Walker, and Herbert’s autograph signature on the first endpaper.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Claude Mozis Library – Black Africa and the African diaspora
Auction location
Auction time
10/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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