A newly freed slave with a blacksmith cutting his shackle off is a rare photo of a slave being freed.
Photos of people being freed from salvery are rare. This photo was taken in 1907 after Slavery was outlawed in most of the known world-but still being practiced as part of the Arab slave trade.
The British frigate had intercepted a slaving ship and freed several men. The sailor is sawing off his shackle (not his foot), as the man looks in the other direction.
This man was saved off the coast of Oman, just prior to being sent into longer-term slavery-by the skin of his neck.
The photo always struck me. It's one of the very rarest photos of someone being freed from slavery-literally.
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