Uncle Henry by Edward Valentine
Collections in the Classroom
Grade Level
High, Middle
Time Period
1871-1899: Post Reconstruction
Resource Type
Engagement Activity, Post-visit material, Pre-visit material, Primary Source
Download Collections in the Classroom: Henry Page by Edward Valentine, 1879 (pdf)
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- How does this piece’s title, Uncle Henry: Ancien Régime, add to its meaning?
- What stereotype is this popular sculpture by Edward Valentine using?
- How did this piece of commercial art help support the Lost Cause narrative?
CONTEXT
The title of this sculpture is carved into the base. Its subtitle, Ancien Régime , in combination with the figure’s clothing and expression, are meant to evoke the trope of the faithful servant or “good slave,” the enslaved person that looks upon his master (or former master) with fondness and unswerving devotion. Henry Page (d. 1886) served as the model for the bust in 1873. The Valentine family enslaved him as a carriage driver prior to the Civil War and Emancipation.
