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Primary sourcePhotograph

Sojourner Truth CDV, 'I sell the shadow to support the substance'

Wright's New York Gallery

A carte de visite photograph of Sojourner Truth sold to support herself, printed with her own chosen caption.

This carte de visite was sold by Truth herself to fund her activism, reflecting her self-presentation.

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Sepia carte de visite portrait of a seated older Black woman wearing a white bonnet, round wire-rimmed glasses, a white shawl and a dark dress, knitting with white yarn. Printed caption in red reads 'I sell the shadow to support the substance' and 'Sojourner Truth'.
Carte de visite of Sojourner Truth. Wright's New York Gallery, Battle Creek, Michigan.

About this source

What it is

This is a carte de visite, a small photographic portrait card, produced by Wright's New York Gallery in Battle Creek, Michigan. It shows Sojourner Truth seated, knitting, wearing glasses, a bonnet, and a shawl. The card carries a printed caption, "I sell the shadow to support the substance," along with her name.

Why it matters

Sojourner Truth sold photographs like this one to earn income and support her work, making her image itself a tool of her activism. The caption she chose shows her awareness that selling her picture (the "shadow") helped sustain her real life and cause (the "substance"). It reveals her as someone who controlled how the public saw her.

Look closer

  • What does the caption tell you about how Truth understood photography and fame?
  • Why might she choose to be shown knitting rather than in another pose?
  • What does this card suggest about the economic challenges former enslaved people faced even after gaining freedom?

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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Narrative of Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth · 1850

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

1864

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

Secondary source

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

Gilbert Vale · 1835

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

Primary source

Sojourner Truth, seated with knitting

1864

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