The mug is decorated with a depiction of a group of enslaved Africans at work on a sugar plantation, accompanied by a European overseer dressed in a suit and holding a whip. Below this image a verse from William Cowper’s 1788 poem ‘The Negro’s Complaint’, is inscribed,
Think, ye masters, iron-hearted,
Lolling at your jovial boards;
Think how many backs have smarted
For the sweets your cane affords.
The mug therefore forces the user to question their own role in slavery when consuming its sugary contents.
Height: 2 ⅝”
In good condition