David Drake is believed to be the first enslaved African American potter to have inscribed his creations with more than a basic mark. Drake often signed and dated his pots. But Storage Jar, made in 1859, is one of roughly 40 known jars that he also inscribed with poetry.

Drake was born in 1801 near Edgefield, South Carolina. During his life, it was illegal to teach enslaved African Americans to read and write in many states. How was Drake able to sign his pots and even write poetry on them? His unique skill may be part of the answer. Drake’s pots were some of the largest from the area, and they were in high demand. His tall jars boasted even walls tapering inward toward the base and billowing out toward the opening, with sturdy, symmetrical handles.

Like his pottery, Drake’s rhyming couplets were expertly crafted. By looking closely at how Drake made and inscribed Storage Jar, we can better understand his life and story.

Many of the potteries of Edgefield were located on plantations. They directly supported the plantations and farms by creating bowls, teacups, jugs, and vessels to store food and supplies. Plantation owners exploited enslaved people not only for almost all essential labor but also as skilled artisans making stoneware.

The Edgefield kilns were all located near rich deposits of clay, the raw material essential for pottery. This eliminated the need to move resources, but processing the clay took an incredible amount of work. First, raw clay was run through a pugmill, a machine that smoothed and ground out bits of matter. Enslaved potters had to constantly load and unload the clay while keeping the mules that powered the mill moving.

The mix of minerals in clay allows it to be easily shaped when moist. It is then fired in a kiln, which turns it rock hard. Running the kiln was also strenuous. It required chopping firewood, feeding the fire, monitoring heat levels, and loading and unloading the ceramics. The Pottersville kiln in Edgefield was 12 feet wide and 105 feet long. Its large capacity helped enslaved potters meet the high demand for their stoneware. The kiln could be fired up to twice a month, and each firing required up to 10 tons of firewood. The smallest workers, most often young boys, were tasked with loading and unloading the kiln.

Once fired, clay becomes hard ceramic. But it is still porous and not optimal for food storage. (Think of a terracotta plant pot.) Potters seal the surface by covering it in a liquid glaze. When fired, the glaze forms a glassy coating that moisture can’t penetrate.

Abner Landrum, one of the first pottery factory owners in Edgefield, introduced alkaline glazes to the United States. Made from wood, ash, sand, and clay, these glazes much safer than previously used lead-based ones. Alkaline glazing became the signature characteristic of Southern folk pottery. Certain types of clay and glaze, like those Drake used in his pottery, required a two-step firing process.

National Gallery objects conservator Dylan Smith suggests that Drake’s large pots may also have required a combination of techniques. Drake would have shaped the base of a vessel on a pottery wheel, then used coil building. The potter would gradually increase the vessel’s height by laying clay coils around base. Smoothing the pot, by hand or on the wheel, blends its thrown and coiled parts.

The inscriptions on Storage Jar are worth a close look—both what Drake wrote and how he wrote it.

The Bible inspired many enslaved people, especially in its descriptions of liberation and resistance. To enslaved communities, it offered messages of sustenance and survival. Drake’s couplet warns of the consequences of not heeding lessons from the Bible.

In making his pots, Drake used his creativity and skill as an act of resistance. While marking pottery with dates and other visual keys is common, his inscriptions point to advanced literacy. For an enslaved person at the time, showing writing ability was not just unusual, but potentially dangerous. Drake’s enslavers may have played a role. Some might have opposed anti-literacy laws and allowed Drake develop to his craft. During his most prolific period, Drake did include the names of his enslavers among his inscriptions. Others may have denied Drake the opportunity to write. Maybe that is why there are gaps in his career during which his pots have no personal markings.
 

We also don’t know how Drake’s poetry was received. Since his pots were among the largest in the area, buyers in need may simply have overlooked the inscriptions. And since these large pots mostly stored food on plantations, their main users may have been other enslaved people. Many of them would not have been able to read the inscriptions.

But Drake’s writing would eventually reach many others. His words give us an understanding of his life that we would not otherwise have. And his hands built the foundation for his story to be shared.