From Her Body Sprang Their Greatest Wealth by Nona Faustine, 2013.The photograph was taken at the si

From Her Body Sprang Their Greatest Wealth by Nona Faustine, 2013.

The photograph was taken at the site of the Colonial Slave Market on Wall Street, which operated from 1711 to 1762. New York had the largest urban population of slaves in North America during the 18th century.

The closure had nothing to do with more enlightened views about race. City Council determined the market was “disagreeable to those that pass and repass to and from the Coffee House.”

Children and adults of African decent continued to be sold, legally and illegally, in New York until the mid-point of the Civil War.

In her White Shoes series, Faustine brings attention to city sites linked to the slave trade.

(Additional sources: Untapped CitiesandThe Establishment)