Our Ancestor's Somber Story: Untitled (Boone Plantation)

Carrie Mae Weems 

American, born 1953 

Untitled (Boone Plantation).1992. 

Gelatin silver print 

1999.57 a-b 

Boone Plantation by Carrie Mae Weems depicts an ambiguous image placed in a modern archaeological site in South Carolina, with a tragic past to go along with it. Weems’ black heritage and her interest in history, culture and folklore, inform her photography. This work of art isn't only black and white because strictly it depicts a time when people were enslaved, but the mood is also reflected in the text panel to the left of the image. Consequently, she incorporated a Gullah folktale alongside of the photograph that alludes to a prevalent belief among early enslaved individuals that their souls would return to Africa