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Massachusetts State Seal
Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

Boston Common

Engravement depicting the encampment on Boston Common.
This is an engravement (by Sidney Lawton Smith) of the original watercolor by Christian Remick, which depicts the British encampment on the Common, with Hancock Manor overlooking the scene. (Digital Commonwealth)

At the age of 11, Hannah Otis created this needle point image of Boston Common. The Hancock Manor is visible at the top. The young person riding is believed to be John Hancock followed by an enslaved person. Thomas Hancock held two or three enslaved people as house servants who were freed in his will. As an adult John Hancock did not continue the practice of slavery.