Milwaukee Museum Returns Pottery by Enslaved Artist David Drake to His Descendants

A Landmark Repatriation of Enslaved Artisan's Legacy

The Milwaukee Art Museum has returned several pieces of pottery created by David Drake, an enslaved potter from South Carolina who lived during the nineteenth century, to his living descendants. This repatriation marks a significant moment in the ongoing effort by American cultural institutions to acknowledge and correct historical injustices by returning artifacts created by enslaved people to their families. Drake is recognized as one of the most accomplished pottery makers of his era, known for creating large stoneware vessels with distinctive incised designs and sometimes inscribing his own name on pieces—an extraordinary act of self-assertion for an enslaved person in the antebellum South.

David Drake's artistic contributions were long obscured by the systemic erasure that characterized the treatment of enslaved individuals throughout American history. His works, primarily produced in Edgefield, South Carolina, between the 1830s and 1860s, demonstrate remarkable technical skill and artistic sophistication. The pieces feature sophisticated glazing techniques and decorative elements that place them among the finest examples of American pottery from that period. Despite his exceptional talent, Drake remained enslaved throughout his life, working under the ownership of pottery manufacturers who profited from his labor while denying him basic human rights and legal recognition of his authorship.

The Significance of Named and Signed Work

What distinguishes Drake's legacy is his practice of signing his name on certain pieces—a practice that was deeply transgressive in the context of slavery. In a society that denied enslaved individuals legal personhood and ownership rights, the act of inscribing one's name on an object constituted a form of resistance and assertion of individual identity. These signatures serve as historical documentation of Drake's authorship and consciousness, providing rare direct evidence of an enslaved artisan's voice and self-determination. Scholars and museum professionals have increasingly recognized the importance of these signatures as markers of artistic agency and human dignity.

The Milwaukee Art Museum's decision to return these pieces reflects a broader shift in how American museums are reassessing their collections and their relationship to histories of slavery and exploitation. Over the past decade, numerous institutions have undertaken provenance research to identify objects created by enslaved people and have engaged in conversations with descendants about appropriate stewardship and repatriation. This process requires institutions to confront uncomfortable truths about how their collections were assembled and to acknowledge that certain acquisitions were built upon the foundation of human bondage and exploitation.

Broader Museum Reckoning and Institutional Change

The repatriation of Drake's pottery represents part of a larger institutional movement toward what many in the museum world term "justice-centered curation" and ethical collecting practices. Museums have increasingly recognized that holding objects created by enslaved people without engaging descendant communities constitutes a continuation of historical erasure and injustice. The Milwaukee Art Museum's action demonstrates willingness to prioritize the wishes and connections of descendants over institutional claims of preservation and public access—a significant departure from traditional museum practice that often asserted exclusive curatorial authority.

David Drake's story has gained scholarly attention in recent years, particularly through the work of art historians and descendants who have worked to document his life and artistic output. The Smithsonian Institution and other major museums have also held examples of his work, leading to increased dialogue about appropriate stewardship of his legacy. As more pieces have been authenticated and studied, Drake's reputation as a master potter has been firmly established, and his contributions to American art history have received long-overdue recognition. The repatriation by the Milwaukee institution opens the door for similar actions at other museums holding Drake's work.

Contemporary Implications and Future Directions

This repatriation carries implications beyond the specific case of David Drake. It signals that American cultural institutions are increasingly prepared to acknowledge that provenance and historical context matter—that understanding how objects entered collections, under what circumstances, and at what human cost, represents an ethical imperative for museums serving the public. For descendants of enslaved artisans and craftspeople, repatriation efforts offer opportunity to reclaim family heritage and establish direct connections with ancestral creative work.

The return of Drake's pottery also highlights the need for continued historical research into the contributions of enslaved artists and craftspeople whose work has been either misattributed, anonymized, or absorbed into broader narratives of American material culture. Many enslaved people possessed considerable artistic and technical skills that enriched American cultural production, yet their individual contributions remain largely undocumented or underappreciated. Institutions like the Milwaukee Art Museum are beginning to recognize that ethical stewardship involves actively working to restore individual names, stories, and dignity to these historical figures.