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Primary sourcePhotographc. 1864

Sojourner Truth, Albumen Portrait by Brady Studio

Mathew Brady Studio · c. 1864

An albumen photographic portrait of Sojourner Truth made around 1864 at Mathew Brady's studio, now in the National Portrait Gallery.

One of several self-fashioned photographic portraits Truth had made and circulated during the Civil War.

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Sepia studio portrait of an older Black woman seated, wearing a white head covering, round wire-rimmed glasses, a light blouse, and a fringed striped shawl over a dark skirt, holding a folded paper in her lap. Printed label reads Brady and New York.
Mathew Brady Studio, portrait of Sojourner Truth, c. 1864. Albumen silver print, National Portrait Gallery.

About this source

What it is

This is an albumen silver print portrait of Sojourner Truth made around 1864, likely at Mathew Brady's photography studio, and now held by the National Portrait Gallery. It shows her seated, wearing a head covering, glasses, and a fringed shawl, holding a folded paper in her lap.

Why it matters

This is one of several photographs Truth had made and distributed during the Civil War years. Like her other portraits, it was part of how she deliberately shaped her public image as a dignified, literate reformer at a time when Black Americans were rarely portrayed this way in mainstream photography.

Look closer

  • What does her posture and clothing suggest she wanted viewers to think of her?
  • Why might Truth have had several photographs made of herself around this time?
  • What is the folded paper in her lap, and why might the photographer have included it?

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

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Sepia carte de visite photograph of an older Black woman seated at a table, wearing a white bonnet, dark dress, and white fringed shawl, with a flower vase at right. Printed caption below reads 'I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance' and 'SOJOURNER TRUTH'.Photograph

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Sepia carte de visite photograph of an older Black woman seated beside a table with a flower vase, wearing a white bonnet, glasses, a white shawl, and a dark dress, holding knitting or sewing. Printed caption below reads: I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance. SOJOURNER TRUTH.Photograph

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