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"G'wine to de Field." (1862) This picture was taken at James Hopkinson's plantation on Edisto Island and is one of Moore's better-known photographs because of its national exposure following the Civil War. In 1865, The Philadelphia Photographer published the photo with a caption that read "When they were taken, they were slaves; now they are free men and women ... The planters on this island left their homes at the time Port Royal was taken. About fifty slaves were found on this plantation ... living in the parlors of the mansion, and some of them sleeping on the piano, showing their characteristic taste for sleep and music." Moore romanticized the plantation lifestyle once dominated by slave owners in pursuit of their cotton fortunes. It has taken more than 100 years and the Civil Rights movement for the revelation of Moore's historic images to be viewed in a different light. A number of the freedmen in this image appear in what was probably their best clothes, dressed in vests and one in a long coat; it is doubtful that they wore these clothes to work in the field. Notice that many of them do not wear shoes. The buildings in the background were probably the slave's quarters on the plantation where many of them would continue to live while working as sharecroppers. Henry P. Moore. New Hampshire Historical Society.	"Sweet Potatoe Planting." (1862) The typical diet of Sea Island slaves included peas, corn, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, garden greens, and fish, all of which they cultivated or caught themselves. It was common for the enslaved to tend small gardens close to their living quarters as well as larger patches such as the one pictured here; however, the contrived scene by Moore shows several men in Union-issue uniforms hoeing in close proximity to one-another, languidly posing with their tools. The women and young men sorting seed-potatoes on the ground also appear in a more staged than realistic setting with the mule cart placed just beyond them on display. What is realistic about the scene these farmers portray are the large heavy hoes they carry, the plow in the field, the variety of color and patterns each woman wears in their dress, and the use of the coiled basket for sorting. Woven baskets were common to Europeans and Native Americans while coiled baskets were African in origin, designed by "wrapping dried palmetto fronds around bundles of sweetgrass" and forming them into baskets of all shapes and sizes. Moore's photograph documents one of the many craft skills African ancestors brought with them to America that became part of an African-American culture. Henry P. Moore. (Permission to use this image was granted by the New York Historical Society.)	"View from Seabrook's House." (1862) This water-edge scene with contrabands lounging on the dock, while the woman tends to drying bags of wet cotton salvaged from a wrecked brig, appears less posed than the other Moore photographs. Look carefully to see the steamer Pocahontas in the background. Is the man approaching to help the woman work? With the occupation of Union troops, these enslaved Africans became free men and women--free, that is, to work and rest when they chose and free to practice the religion of their choice. Something even as simple as quitting work an hour early to go fishing for the evenings dinner was a privilege that now held no terrifying repercussions. Notice the long sturdy dock that was probably built by the enslaved fathers of the freedmen now resting on it. Henry P. Moore. New Hampshire Historical Society.
"Seabrook's Park." (1862) Moore set up his camera in an upstairs window of William Seabrook's mansion to take in this view of the beautifully manicured gardens. This formal park was probably the gathering place for many of Edisto Island's privileged class, strolling the romantic setting on walkways covered in crushed shells, Sunday afternoon picnics on the lush grassy lawn, and fishing in the man-made pond, not visible from this view. Colonel Enoch Q. Fellows, commander of this post, is front and center with arms folded, posing with other Union officers. The scene provides a sense of scale to what would soon become a Confederate garden in decay. Notice the size of this park area, with the perfectly rounded lawn in the center of the roundabout with shrubs and trees pruned to perfection. Some of the trees have shed their leaves; what does this tell you about the time of year? Although the pristine condition of this park leads one to assume that this picture was take early on in the Union occupation, there are signs of neglect from the dying lawn on the right side of the image. How much work would this be for slaves to keep up? Do you think the enslaved were able to use these grounds for their enjoyment as well? Henry P. Moore. New Hampshire Historical Society.	"J.E. Seabrook’s Flower Garden." (1862) Moore took this photograph from the upstairs of the same mansion of William Seabrook as the previous image, most certainly for the obvious contrast. Moore mistakenly credited the property to J.E. Seabrook instead of William. This neglected and unruly formal flower garden is indeed representative of the changing times. Slave gardeners were no longer compelled to busy themselves watering and weeding the showpiece of their slaveholders once the whites fled from Union troops. Notice the overgrown maze of walkways with mingling soldiers and contraband slaves. The gazebo in the center was probably used to entertain neighbors for brunch. The slave quarters can be seen in the distance with marshes and a wooded area just beyond them. What does this image tell you about the wealth and status of slaveowners on this island, before and after the civil war? Henry P. Moore. New Hampshire Historical Society.	"Seabrook's Library." (1862) William Seabrook came to the coast of South Carolina around 1830, accumulated a large fortune from the labor of his slaves during the Sea Island cotton boom. His estate, Oak Island, was built overlooking the coast and boasted a twenty-one-room mansion with numerous outbuildings, including this library that exuded the pretentious luxury of aristocratic slaveholders. Seabrook's elegant library was designed to be a symbol of his civilized and cultivated mind, but today it illuminates the paradox of the savagery at the heart of wealth amassed by slavery. Moore's image is full of props like the two northern military men on the steps with a sword and boat rudder while two contraband slaves sit by the potted plants. Notice how the soldiers are looking out at the water while the former slaves are curiously engaged with the camera. The contraband on the right appears to be wearing a uniform. Where did the slaveholders go with their families after fleeing the Union occupiers? Did they try to take their slaves with them? What happened to the enslaved? Henry P. Moore. New Hampshire Historical Society.

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