Mule bit crafted by an unidentified enslaved person

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A curb iron mule bit crafted by an unidentified enslaved person from a unidentified plantation in Charleston, South Carolina. The purchase has two (2), round curb strap rings attached to a small chain. Below is a ported mouthpiece and a shank ending in two (2) round rein rings. Handwritten text in white paint on the ported mouthpiece reads [011] on one side and [OSM] on the opposite side. Below [OSM] is a painted white rectangle with handwritten black text that reads [R353].

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗