Enslaved Men Digging Trenches, anonymous, c. 1850
aquarelle, h 32.5cm × w 25.4cm More details
Suriname consists largely of impenetrable forests. In order to establish a plantation, first a stretch of forest had to be reclaimed and trenches for drainage and transport dug. In the scorching heat, men were forced to dig broad canals and narrow trenches using nothing more than a shovel. This was incredibly hard work, which is still cited in the oral traditions as one of the principal reasons for fleeing a plantation.
