“David Drake (c. 1800 – c. 1870s), also known as “Dave Pottery” and “Dave the Potter”, was an American potter who lived in Edgefield, South Carolina. An enslaved African American, Drake spent most of his life working for his masters, but became free at the end of the American Civil War…He often signed his works “Dave”, and he is recognized as the first enslaved potter to inscribe his work. Drake inscribed his work with poetry, often using rhyming couplets, as well as his signature.”