The Old Plantation is possibly the most famous illustration of African American life during the eighteenth century. This small watercolor (12 inches by 18 inches) has long been the subject of intense investigation and speculation. Historians, art historians, curators, and the wider public have studied the painting for decades in an attempt to understand when it was made, by whom, and why. The painting depicts what appears to be a complex of plantation buildings that are probably quarters for enslaved workers. The plantation is situated on a broad river, and in the foreground twelve adults are dancing and playing music. The people depicted are almost certainly enslaved laborers. No other painting is known to exist that shows so many individuals engaging in a relatively private activity on a mainland plantation in such an early period.