Freedom Halifax 1814

On 21 January 2020 the “Freedom Halifax 1814” painting by artist Richard Rudnicki was delivered to the Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building by representatives of the Army Museum Halifax Citadel. Richard was the Army Museum’s artist-in-residence from 2012 until he passed away in 2019.

In 2012, Richard was commissioned by the Army Museum to research and create a painting illustrating the arrival of 2,000 Black Chesapeake refugees in 1814. His painting was featured in the Report on Lord Dalhousie’s History on Slavery and Race. Ken Hynes, head curator of the Army Museum, was inspired to loan the original painting to Dalhousie for long-term public display and contacted the chair of the History department.

The painting depicts King's Wharf, Halifax Harbour in 1814 and a British frigate with officers, Royal Marine, Royal Navy and sailors. Black refugees from the Chesapeake Bay region disembark the frigate, offered freedom from slavery in exchange for service to the British Army. In their new life, free from slavery, they suffered hardships and discrimination. The overwhelming majority of Black settlers during and after the War of 1812 chose to stay in Nova Scotia, refusing to go to any country where slavery still existed. They achieved freedom, but were faced with harsh conditions and discrimination.