Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Unknown [Metal slave tag for a servant number 94]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05916 Author/Creator: Unknown Place Written: Charleston, South Carolina Type: Object Date: 1840 Pagination: 1 metal tag ; 5.8 x 5.6 cm. Order a Copy

Information from Rich Hartzog; AAA Historical Americana: "Owners of slaves wishing to rent out their slaves, or slaves with extra time available to hire themselves out, were required to pay an annual tax to the City of Charleston. Proof of payment was shown by the wearing of slave tags, with stiff fines for non-compliance. Slaves who only worked on their owner's plantation did not have to have tags. The earliest known dated tag is 1800, although earlier dates have been reported. Until recently, the latest known dated tag is 1864... A number of occupations are known to exist, with the most common being servant and porter."

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