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There are two children pictured in the painting. One is a white cabnin boy assistuing with the brandinf of a femmale captive. He is holding a latern. He looks very younf, proibably bout 10 years ild. He wears a straw hat thsat was common for sailors at the time. It was common for merchbt vesselsto have a few boards aboard, There were a range of functions they could fulfil, ruuning erands for the officers, serving in the gally, or helping wih a range of activities. The csbin boy herewaswhite, but ee note black cabin boys on some slavers, we suspect because they were not a potential threat like adult black crew members. Also in the portrait is a black baby. We know that there were children among the captives sold to the slavers. Often more children than women. We are less sure about babies. Of course captive women might have babies, but the rigors of driving the captives to the coast suggest that not many babies would have survived. So we are not sure what the baby is doing there or where his mother is. He seems to be locsated in a rather privlidged location, but then agsin, most babies would wan to be near mother.
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