New York Subway South Street Tile

Satin finish
South Street Seaport from Maiden Lane, ca. 1834

William James Bennet (1787-1844)
Aquatint,
Gift of Mrs. Ralph Smillie, 1969 (77610)

The South Street Seaport area on the Lower East Side between Fulton Street and the Battery was the center of New York's port district from 1815 to 1860. Ships and seaports occupied an important place in black American life in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many black men from the Caribbean and North America worked as sailors or dockworkers, and much of the cargo that came in and went out was a product of slavery. The port also provided the opportunity for fugitives to stowaway on a ship, disembarking on the road to freedom.

A colored Seaman's Home run by people who had attended the African Free School was located a few blocks from this seaport on the East River. The Seaman's Home was also a stop on the Underground Railroad; it was common knowledge for African Americans that this was a safe place to hide.

Comes w/ hanging hardware affixed. Available without hardware, special order allow 3 weeks delivery.