[Album]

By raising money and awareness for the cause, as well as publishing anti-slavery literature and arranging for boycotts of slave-produced goods, women's societies played a critical role in the abolitionist movement. The Female Society of Birmingham, etc, was founded some 18 years following the official closing of the transatlantic slave trade in 1807, in order to force the issue of abolishing slavery in the British colonies to the fore. Among the group's activities was the compilation of "albums" – collections of pamphlets, poetry, artwork, and other anti-slavery materials, including sometimes dramatic illustrations of the plight of enslaved women. – which were presented to prominent individuals. The Library holds four of these albums, each comprised of slightly different contents. This example was given by abolitionist Charles Stuart to Lewis Tappan, one of the abolitionists who worked to free the enslaved Africans of the Amistad.