Dread Scott
Whites for Sale
In conjunction with his first NFT sale of White Male Dread Scott made and circulated a poster titled Whites For Sale. The indigo-colored poster advertises a “cargo” of newly arrived white slaves, from which one will be for sale. This work is adapted from a 1796 slave sale announcement poster that is now archived in the library at Columbia University, NYC. Remaining true to the format, design, and phrasing of the original document, the artist only altered the wording to offer “Prime, Healthy Whites” instead of “Negroes”. Using imaging-software, the work conceptually and materially color-inverts the original document—black becomes white, yellowed paper becomes a dark indigo. The use of the color indigo for this work is significant insofar as indigo cultivation and processing was brought to the United States by enslaved Africans. By the 1700s the profits from indigo sales far exceeded other common industries such as cotton and sugar, and subsequently, indigo dyed textiles became a form of currency traded in exchange for slaves.
