In 1834, Maria Chapman had an idea: Why not raise funds for their society by selling handmade goods – guaranteed free of slave labor – to the local population? Thus was born the first Anti-Slavery Fair. The first fair was held at Maria Chapman’s parlor, and brought in just $300, reflecting the size of the venue as well as the relatively small reach of the organization.
It was the first fair in the region dedicated to the anti-slavery cause. In 1830, fundraising fairs were few, but in 1833, places like Salem and Springfield, Massachusetts, reported that similar fairs had brought in thousands of dollars for organizations like the Institute for the Blind. At first, goods for the Anti-Slavery Fair came mostly from local women in the area, responding to calls to donate handmade items to sell, such as clothing and quilts. Organized by women, featuring wares made by women, the fairs were seen as something appropriately feminine.
Events like the Anti-Slavery Fair were a socially acceptable way for women to raise money for causes they believed were important. Women were not normally supposed to be in public, hawking goods for sale, but selling handmade crafts in the name of charity was viewed as something in service of a higher cause.
Beginning in 1839, Chapman created an annual publication to be sold only at the fair – The Liberty Bell, a book that offered a selection of texts, including poems, essays, and stories, all with a connection to abolitionism. Authors who contributed to The Liberty Bell included poet Henry Longfellow, philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the British poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
In the next two decades, the fair grew dramatically. Although the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society disbanded in 1840, the fair continued. The 1845 event, held in Boston’s Faneuil Hall, garnered nearly $4,000 in proceeds. Items that went unsold were held over to be used in smaller, local fairs across the state during the year.
The Boston Anti-Slavery Fair, sometimes referred to as the Bazaar, was held around Christmas, because it was a time of year when organizers could count on people needing to purchase gifts for family and friends. It also coincided with the anniversary of the Mayflower’s arrival in Massachusetts on December 22, 1620; Chapman believed this date was important because the Pilgrims, too, were interested in freedom.