The title A Chattel Becomes A Man is derived from a letter written by Douglass from the Victory Hotel, Belfast, to William Lloyd Garrison on 1 January 1846. Douglass spent several months in Ireland before travelling to England and Scotland, where he remained to escape being re-enslaved. During this time he delivered more than 300 lectures. In the letter he wrote:

‘Instead of the bright blue sky of America, I am covered with the soft grey fog of the Emerald Isle. I breathe, and lo! the chattel becomes a man. I gaze around in vain for one who will question my equal humanity, claim me as his slave, or offer me an insult. I employ a cab—I am seated beside white people—I reach the hotel—I enter the same door—I am shown into the same parlor—I dine at the same table—and no one is offended.’

At this point Douglass was still a fugitive enslaved man until, in December 1846, abolitionists and Quakers Ellen and Anna Richardson bought Douglass’ manumission for £150, allowing him to return home as a free man.

Isaac Julien, CBE RA (born 1960) is a critically acclaimed British artist and filmmaker. In 2018, Julien joined UC Santa Cruz where he is the distinguished professor of the arts and leads the IJ Lab together with Arts Professor Mark Nash. Recent international solo exhibitions include: Isaac Julien: Western Union: Small Boats, Neuberger Museum, New York (2020); Isaac Julien: Frederick Douglass: Lessons of the Hour, ​SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah (2019); Looking for Langston at Tate Britain (2019); and Playtime at LACMA (2019). Julien has previously exhibited at venues including Museum of Modern Art, New York (2013), Art Institute of Chicago (2013), Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego (2012), and Pompidou Centre Paris (2005).