The Matter of Slavery at National Museums Scotland

Abstract

• In the ‘Industry and Empire’ gallery of the National Museum of Scotland (NMS) in Edinburgh sits a gleaming cup of white porcelain, resting on its saucer. Text rendered in black lettering around the body of the cup reads: ‘and so it was that those long sea/journeys became yonder awa awa’. The cup is surrounded by other pieces of the tea set to which it belongs: two cups and saucers, a plate and teapot, each carrying a gilded ship motif (Figure 7.1). At first glance they sit comfortably beside other objects in the case – ceramics, silverware, coins and print material - all from the nineteenth century.