Rewards

This image has a direct association with some of the accounts found in Harriet Jacobs' narrative. Soon after Jacobs' escape, Dr. Flint offered a reward for her return.

"$300 Reward! Ran away from the subscriber, an intelligent, bright, mulatto girl, named Linda, 21 years of age. Five feet four inches high. Dark eyes, and black hair inclined to curl; but can be made straight. Has a decayed spot on a front tooth. She can read and write, and in all probability will try to get to the Free States. All persons are forbidden, under penalty of law, to harbor or employ said slave. $150 will be given to whoever takes her in the state, and $300 if taken out of the state and delivered to me, or lodged in Jail. Dr. Flint"

As can be easily discerned, there are striking similarities between the reward found in Jacobs' narrative and the offering found in the photograph above. Both rewards are so closely phrased it seems almost as though they came from a template. One can also notice the variance in the price for five human-beings versus one. This certainly shows the disparity in Dr. Flint when Jacobs escaped. It should also be noted that there is a distinct difference in the terminology used in the 1800s as compared to the present. As can be seen from the postings, blacks of mixed descent were referred to as mulattos. Today, individuals with such backgrounds are typically referred to as biracial, multiracial, mixed-race or multiethnic. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that slave holders would refer to themselves as subscribers. Indeed, photographs such as the one above provide much corroboration with narratives like Jacobs' and Douglass'.