This artist's interpretation of the day that emancipation arrived includes a freedmen's dance in the parlor of their former master's house. In the background children slide down the big house banister while one gets a spanking. A banjo player picks out a tune as others "cut a rug." One man leans back in an armchair and wears the absent master's stovepipe hat while he downs a jug of some adult beverage. A child in the foreground rolls on the floor amid clutter including a bottle, an overturned chair, and what appears to be a drum. Another youngster looks to be dancing with the adults while a cat plays with his feet.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
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