Frederick Douglass in Portraits
Frederick Douglass was the most photographed man of the 19th century, sitting for more than 160 portraits and photos.
He also saw photography as a tool for creating an image of black manhood in America that was neither funny nor damaging, as many depictions of African-Americans were at the time.Douglass almost never smiled, an expression he viewed as too friendly. He was careful to be photographed in settings that emphasized dignity, accomplishment and power, all things denied to those like him who had been enslaved.
To learn more about Douglass in images, seePicturing Frederick Douglassby Celeste-Marie Bernier, John Stauffer, and Zoe Trodd.
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