Robert Smalls — Wearable Fine Art Tee | Burrell Archive

The wheelman who took a ship out of Charleston harbour and sailed himself free, rendered in surging paint and sea-spray.

From enslaved pilot to U.S. Congressman, 1839–1915. In 1862 he guided the vessel past five checkpoints out of Charleston harbour and delivered it to the United States Navy with his family aboard, and later helped write South Carolina's constitution.

— Each portrait is original art from Burrell Archive, reworked from verified public-domain source images — reverent to the subject, fearless with the paint. Made to order on a Comfort Colors® 1717 garment-dyed heavyweight tee: 100% ring-spun cotton, soft and structured with a lived-in vintage feel, printed just for you. Wearable Fine Art.