Commissioner’s Sale.

[Louisville], Kentucky, 2 February, 1853. Broadside, 9” x 11.25”. Small pen inscription at verso.

A rare broadside advertising the sale of a slave named Ann Eliza and her child Florence in Louisville, Kentucky in 1853.

Operating under the sanction of the state of Kentucky and the Jefferson Circuit Court, Commissioner Charles Quirey effected this sale on behalf of David S. Chambers who was guardian of Alice P. Chambers and Ann S. Chambers. Quirey states that he will “expose to sale to the highest bidder slave Ann Eliza and her Child Florence” on 14 February 1853 at the Court House door in the city of Louisville between the hours of 10 and 12 o'clock. The terms of the sale were “credit of four months, purchaser to give bond, with good security, bearing interest from date.”

As an advertisement for a commissioner’s sale of two slaves “at the court house door” this broadside is a stark reminder of the legal apparatus that enforced the slavery system. Although unintentional, the phrase “expose to sale” almost seems an admission of the immorality of selling human beings.

No copies recorded in OCLC.

CONDITION: Good, old folds and creases, partial separation along folds, foxing and other stains consistent with age, no losses to the text.