The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African / written by himself

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African / written by himself

1791
Olaudah Equiano
b. 1745
     Olaudah Equiano’s Interesting Narrative, first published in 1789, is an extended account of his enslavement and multiple Atlantic crossings, as well as his conversion to Christianity. Equiano, who purchased his own freedom in 1766, worked as a sailor, hairdresser, author, and abolitionist. Apart from several unauthorized international editions, Equiano carefully controlled the publication and marketing of his Narrative, promoting it throughout the United Kingdom. He gained copyright by registering the book with the Stationers’ Company as “Property of the author.” Profits from the Narrative made him the richest person of African descent in eighteenth-century Britain. Among the subscribers were Equiano’s friend Ottobah Cugoano and Ignatius Sancho’s son William. Fashionable figures in the world of art and design such as Richard Cosway and Josiah Wedgwood also
subscribed. 
     Equiano probably commissioned the miniaturist William Denton (active 1792–1795) to paint this portrait and Daniel Orme (1767–1837) to engrave it. Unlike Wheatley or Sancho in their portraits, Equiano gazes directly at his viewers. He holds the Bible open to a passage that is emphasized in the narrative as central to his spiritual awakening.
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, Im Sa55 782bJWJ Zan Eq51 789Je