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Primary sourcePhotograph1864

Sojourner Truth Carte de Visite (Gladstone Collection)

Unknown author · 1864

An 1864 photographic portrait of Sojourner Truth bearing her slogan 'I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance.'

This 1864 portrait of Truth, sold to fund her activism, is preserved as part of a major collection of African American photography.

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Sepia carte de visite portrait of an elderly Black woman in a light bonnet and dark shawl, gazing toward the viewer. Printed caption beneath reads: I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance. SOJOURNER TRUTH.
Sojourner Truth, carte de visite, 1864. Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs, Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is an albumen photographic print on a carte de visite mount, measuring about 10 by 6 centimeters, showing Sojourner Truth in 1864. It is part of the Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs held by the Library of Congress. The printed caption below the portrait reads 'I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance. SOJOURNER TRUTH.'

Why it matters

Truth used photographs like this to earn income for her speaking tours, making this both a portrait and evidence of how she supported her activism financially. Its preservation in a major collection of African American photography reflects its importance as a record of a Black woman's self-presentation in the 19th century.

Look closer

  • How does Truth's calm, direct gaze shape the impression she gives the viewer?
  • Why might she have chosen to print a slogan about selling her image directly on the photograph?
  • What does the small, portable format of a carte de visite tell you about how such photographs were shared?

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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I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance

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Scan of a marbled endpaper or cover paper with swirling patterns of tan, brown, red and black ink, with dark binding edge on the left side. No text is visible.Book

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Fanaticism; Its Source and Influence, Illustrated by the Simple Narrative of Isabella, in the Case of Matthias

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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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Sojourner Truth, seated with knitting

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