These photographs were produced during my graduate study at the Rhode Island School of Design. Following the impulse that structured The House Servant's Directory, I searched for and photographed within preserved homes that claim a Black history in the region of New England. My photographs of the homes objects and scenes emphasize these dilemmas within historical preservation: Where is the unfigured Black? How, if possible, is historical Black memory read or invented through material?

Properties visited include: The Ashley House, Sheffield, MA. The Royall House and Slave Quarters, Medford, MA. Smiths Castle, Kingstown, RI. The Stephen Hopkins House, Providence, RI.

Image: Ceiling

Master Bedroom

Scale, Clay Marble, Black Walnut

Hand Mirror

Window Shutter

Attic Dress

Shell

Chest

Attic Chairs

Ice Tong

Attic Tools

Bell

Ring Lifter

Cannon Ball

Coal Shovel

Pinhole

Turned Jug

Cooking Spoon

Cotton Scale

Coal Shovels

Hearth

Small Jug

Rifle

Manacle