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Violin played by the enslaved man Jesse Burke
National Museum of African American History and Culture

Violin played by the enslaved man Jesse Burke

Unidentified · 1850-1860

Violin: wood, steel, and mother of pearl;
National Museum of African American History and Culture
CC0 — Public Domain
National Museum of African American History and Culture

This violin was originally owned by a slaveholder named Elisha Burke, who owned the Mount Pleasant Plantation in Phillips County, Arkansas. Before the slaveholder died in 1860, he gave the violin to an enslaved man on his plantation, Mr. Jesse Burke (b. 1834 – d. 1909). According to the family oral history, during slavery Jesse was charged with playing the violin for entertainment for the slaveholder and his guests.

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