Wilson Chinn was an escaped American slave who gained recognition for being photographed with the initials of his owner, Volsey B. Marmillion, branded on his forehead.
Chinn’s branded forehead, along with other implements of slave punishment, was captured in a photograph that became a powerful symbol in the abolitionist movement during the American Civil War.
Born into slavery around the year 1803, Wilson Chinn’s was originally owned by Isaac Howard of Woodford County, Kentucky. However, at the age of 21, he was uprooted from his familiar surroundings and sold into the hands of Volsey B. Marmillion, a sugar planter situated about 45 miles above New Orleans. It was under Marmillion’s ownership that Chinn’s fate would intertwine with a cruel and dehumanizing practice.
The infamous photograph that has come to symbolize Wilson Chinn’s story captures a man bearing a punishment collar and a tormented expression. The most chilling feature, though, is the initials “V.B.M.” branded onto Chinn’s forehead – an indelible mark of his owner’s control and a representation of the degrading and dehumanizing treatment inflicted upon him.
Branding was a dehumanizing practice commonly used during the era of slavery to assert control and instill fear among enslaved individuals. The act of marking human beings as if they were livestock was a stark illustration of the power dynamics at play. For Wilson Chinn, the branding was more than just a physical scar; it represented the larger system that denied him his humanity and freedom.
At the age of 60, Chinn and 105 other slaves managed to escape Marmillion’s plantation, embarking on a journey to freedom. They found refuge with Union forces in the North, supported by Colonel Hanks from the 18th Infantry Regiment. The escapees challenged racial classification norms of the time by having diverse skin tones, including children who appeared white but were still classified as black due to the one-drop rule which held that even a single drop of African ancestry in a person’s heritage, no matter how distant or remote, was enough to classify that person as black or African American.
Photographs of Chinn and the others were taken in New York City and Philadelphia, showcasing their appearances and the determination that fueled their quest for freedom. These photographs, produced were sold for twenty-five cents each, with the proceeds directed towards supporting the education of freedmen – an attempt to rebuild lives that had been shattered by the brutality of slavery.
The photographs served as a visual weapon in the hands of abolitionists during the tumultuous years of the American Civil War.
In January 1864, Chinn’s story gained even more attention when it was featured in Harper’s Weekly, a widely read publication. This article boosted the abolitionist cause, stirring public sentiment and urging action against slavery. The photographs of Wilson Chinn and his fellow escapees highlighted the urgency of ending slavery and cemented their places in history as symbols of resistance and strength.
Today, Wilson Chinn’s legacy lives on as a symbol of resilience against cruelty. His journey from being a branded slave to a symbol of freedom highlights the strength of those who fought against injustice.
You might also want to read up on Whipped Peter: The Photograph That Exposed the Brutality of American Slavery, The East st Louis massacre that left 6000 African Americans homeless, The new york slave revolt of 1712 and Corbin race riot of 1919
