Plate LXXIII in John Gabriel Stedman's Narrative, of a five year's expedition, against the revolted Negroes of Surinam, in Guiana, on the wild coast of South America; from the year 1772 to 1777 (London: Printed for J. Johnson, St. Paul's Church Yard, & J. Edwards, Pall Mall, 1796), vol. II, facing p. 324.

Printed one on top of the other, these two separate engravings record John Gabriel Stedman's memories of Surinam. Entitled "Manner of sleeping &c in the forest," the above image shows the type of hammock that Stedman and the other members of his party used during their encampment. Hammock shown here is suspended from four narrow wooden poles that have been pounded into the ground, and is covered by what appears to be a rudimentary straw roof. To the right, two unclothed slave women have built a small camp-fire, which they use to heat water to do the washing. Image below bears the title "Rural retreat, the cottage." It appears to show a member of Stedman's expedition with his wife and child (quite possibly, Stedman and his wife Joanna). Seemingly, the illustration corresponds with a passage in which Stedman described the simple houses that he and the others constructed. Of his own house, he wrote, " [it] was finished without either nail or hammer, in less than six days, though it had two rooms, a piazza with rails, and a small kitchen, besides a garden, in which I sowed, in pepper-cresses, the names of Joanna and John; . . . . " (vol. 2, p 323)

Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Scenes from Slave Life.