Emma L.
Emma L.’s Artist Statement:
In this piece of artwork, I hoped to encompass Theophilus Niger’s life. In the background, on the top left corner, there is a cow, which represents in 1739, when Theophilus registered his earmark for his livestock.
Next to the cow are two wedding rings. This shows Theophilus and Penolope Tantipen’s marriage in 1748. Below the rings is a baby. Written on the baby’s hat is “Five”. The “Five” represents the five children Theophilus had. Written underneath the baby are all the names of Theophilus’s children, Phillip, Phebe, Theophilus Jr., and Eliab. The reason I did not include William was because below the eagle is a gravestone that has Penolopy and Williams’s names.
In the top right corner is a sign that says “Promises”, but the sign is broken, because Theophilus was promised freedom and land, but Thomas Hodgkin rewrote his will, which is shown right below. In the bottom left corner, there is a small house that represents Theophilus’s family home and the land the Theophilus bought from Jediah Coe. In the bottom left corner shows a gravestone. Theophilus unfortunately died in 1770. In the center flying above everything is an eagle, which has just sprung free from a cage. The eagle symbolizes when Theophilus gained his freedom. I depicted the eagle flying above everything else, because even though Theophilus died, his legacy is still with us, flying right with us forever.