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Primary sourcePhotograph1904

Clara Barton, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front

J. Eyre Purdy · 1904

A studio photograph showing Clara Barton in a head-and-shoulders pose, taken during her years leading the American Red Cross.

This portrait captures Barton as she was publicly known during her leadership of the American Red Cross.

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Black-and-white head-and-shoulders portrait of an older woman with dark hair pulled back, wearing a high lace collar, a dark pendant brooch at the throat, and a dark dress, facing the camera against a dark background. Copyright text in the lower left corner reads 1904, J. Eyre Purdy, Boston.
Clara Barton, 1904. Photograph by J. Eyre Purdy, Boston. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a black-and-white head-and-shoulders photographic portrait of Clara Barton, showing her facing the camera in a dark dress with a high lace collar and pendant brooch. Copyright text dates the print to 1904, taken by photographer J. Eyre Purdy of Boston. The photographic print is held by the Library of Congress.

Why it matters

Taken during Barton's Red Cross years, this portrait is one of the images through which the public came to recognize her as the organization's leader. Such portraits were often used in publications and official contexts to represent her public role.

Look closer

  • How does this portrait compare to other photographs of Barton from the same period?
  • What choices did the photographer make about lighting and background?
  • Why might a public figure sit for multiple formal portraits around the same date?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Clara Barton on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black-and-white studio portrait of an older woman with dark hair pinned up in curls, wearing a dark dress with an ornate white lace collar and a dark brooch at the neck. She faces left with a slight closed-mouth smile. Copyright stamp reads 1904, J. E. Purdy, Boston.Photograph

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A List of the Union Soldiers Buried at Andersonville

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