Trade and Merchants, from Venice to Savannah

Historically, trade has played an essential role in the cultural, economic, and artistic exchange between major world powers. From the 14th through 18th century, the Republic of Venice served as a leading figure in commercial activity. During this time, it established one of the earliest networks of diplomats and had one of the most prominent trade relationships of the period with the Ottoman Empire. (Figure 1) The ships of Venetian merchants would set sail for Ottoman shores bearing luxury goods such as textiles, glass, and paintings expertly crafted by Venetian artisans, and they would return home with the raw materials necessary for the continued work of artisanal guilds, food, spices, and decorative items that would surely catch the eye of wealthy metropolitan consumers.¹

Figure 1: Canaletto (1697–1768); Ale Porte del Dolo, 1741–1746; etching; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Meaningful comparisons can be drawn between trade as practiced in the Venetian Republic and Savannah as a major American port city in the 19th century. (Figure 2) Cotton, lumber, and rice would be shipped out of the port of Savannah and across the Atlantic to Britain, and Savannah’s wealthiest would await the arrival of luxury goods shipped from Britain, though perhaps originating from as far as China.² In both contexts, it was necessary for merchants to navigate an economic space which was defined by stark social division and the exclusion of some populations, such as Jewish people in Venice and persons of color in Savannah, from participation in commerce and politics.³

Figure 2: George N. Barnard (1819–1902); Savanah, GA. No.1, c. 1865; albumen print on paper; gift of John and Virginia Duncan, 2022.29

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¹Lance Esplund, “’Venice and the Ottoman Empire’ Review: A Seafaring Symbiosis,” Wall Street Journal (November 2024): 2-3.
² Walter Fraser Jr., “From Boom to Bust, 1815-1840,” in Savannah in the Old South (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2005), 190, 194.
³Francisco Apellániz, “Venetian Trading Networks in the Medieval Mediterranean,” The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, no. 2 (Autumn 2013): 163-166.

The life of a Savannah merchant would prove to be a relatively comfortable one for Richard Richardson (1785–1833), the first owner of the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters. Richardson joined and operated a few mercantile firms in Savannah that traded in agricultural goods produced through enslaved labor such as cotton and rice, as well as the domestic trafficking of enslaved persons throughout the American South. He would also hold prominent roles in Savannah’s financial landscape, including serving as the president of the local branch of the national bank.⁴ His rising position within Savannah, as well as in trade networks within the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, can be compared to those held by the prominent merchants of Venice.

Figure 3: Shield (rotella), late 16th century; Venice, Italy; papier-mâché, gilded and painted leather; Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia- Palazzo Ducale, J16

Trade with the Ottomans contributed to the rise of the Venetian mercantile class. With this added wealth, Venetians adorned their homes with ornate paintings and objects, largely brought from the Islamic world. The wealthy Venetian home was described by the 16th century Italian author Francesco Sansovino (1521–1583) as being “covered in splendid tapestries and silk cloth, in gilded leather…with paintings and frames equally gilded. Cupboards filled with silver objects as well as porcelain…racks filled weapons, shields and flags…” (Figure 3) Likewise, Richard Richardson used his mercantile connections to decorate his early Greek Revival home with items likely directly imported from Europe such as “Grecian lamps, Brussels carpets, ottomans, marble baths, and Chinese floor stands.”⁵ Building materials used in the home’s construction would include those deemed as “exotic” in origin, such as Jamaican mahogany, and those created using modern technologies, such as engineered stone and cast iron.⁶(Figure 4) The home would even feature indoor plumbing and multiple water closets, or flush toilets, an exceedingly innovative luxury for the U.S. at the time.⁷

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⁴Susan Eva O’Donovan, “Richard Richardson, the Owens-Thomas House, and the Slave Trade in Savannah,” in Slavery and Freedom in Savannah, ed. Leslie M. Harris and Daina Ramey Berry (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2014), 59-60.
⁵ Richard Richardson, Bill of Sale, October 5, 1822.
⁶Walter Fraser Jr., “From Boom to Bust, 1815-1840,” in Savannah in the Old South (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2005), 194; Ship’s Manifest, Cora, 1818.
⁷ “Original Indoor Plumbing at the Owens-Thomas House,” Telfair Museums (June 2018). https://www.telfair.org/article/original-indoor-plumbing-at-the-owens-thomas-house/

Figure 4: The cast iron balcony of the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters represents the first large-scale structural application in American architecture. Photo Courtesy of Calvin Wayne Photography.

From raw materials to works of art, these merchants chose to display their wealth in the form of imported goods, serving both as a testament to the networks they have built as well as to the status of their household. In examining the material comforts enjoyed by both Richardson and the household described by Sansovino the significance played by foreign goods cannot be understated, a pattern which persists into the modern day.

Despite differences in geography, resources, and trading partners, Venice and Savannah both fostered an environment in which commerce flourished, with shipping merchants like Richard Richardson and his Venetian predecessors facilitating the constant exchange of desirable goods from one locale to another. In both cities, these pursuits created a metropolitan upper class who surrounded themselves with luxurious comforts that remained outside of the reach of most citizens, also secured through sea trade. The next time you go for a stroll down River Street and watch the cargo ships pass, perhaps stop to consider both the wealth and the power that have traveled our global waterways.