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Henry Box Brown
1815–1897
Born into slavery in Virginia, he won lasting fame after escaping to freedom by mailing himself in a wooden box. His life later took him from antislavery lecturing to the stage, where he performed as a magician and showman in the United States and Britain.
1 Audiobook
Narrative of Henry Box Brown
by Henry Box Brown
About the author
Brown was born in Louisa County, Virginia, around 1815 and was enslaved for much of his early life. In 1849, after his wife and children were sold away, he carried out the daring escape that made him famous: he had himself shipped in a wooden box from Richmond to Philadelphia, where abolitionists helped receive him.
After reaching freedom, he became an antislavery speaker and told his story in published narratives. He also presented a moving panorama about slavery and, over time, built a career as a performer and magician, especially in Britain, where he spent many of his later years.
His story has endured because it is both astonishing and deeply human: a tale of ingenuity, grief, courage, and reinvention. Brown died in 1897, leaving behind one of the most memorable escape stories from the era of American slavery.