Dave the Slave (also "Dave the Potter" and "David Drake") is the most commonly used moniker of an influential American potter who lived in Edgefield, South Carolina and produced alkaline-glazed stoneware pottery from the 1820s to the 1860s. He was an enslaved African-American, and often signed his works "Dave." [1] After emancipation he adopted the last name "Drake," presumably after Harvey Drake who was his owner until 1832 and who is presumed to have taught him to be a potter. [2] The dates of Dave's birth and death are not known.
Dave the Slave (also "Dave the Potter" and "David Drake") is the most commonly used moniker of an influential American potter who lived in Edgefield, South Carolina and produced alkaline-glazed stoneware pottery from the 1820s to the 1860s. He was an enslaved African-American, and often signed his works "Dave." [1] After emancipation he adopted the last name "Drake," presumably after Harvey Drake who was his owner until 1832 and who is presumed to have taught him to be a potter. [2] The dates of Dave's birth and death are not known.