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Secondary sourcePainting1870

Toussaint L'Ouverture Chromolithograph Portrait

1870

A chromolithograph portrait of Toussaint Louverture, printed in Detroit in 1870, decades after his death.

An imagined later portrait of Louverture made decades after his death, showing his lasting fame in the United States.

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Chromolithograph portrait of a man in profile facing right, wearing a red head wrap and a light-colored draped robe, against a dark brown background. Printed caption label appears at the bottom of the sheet.
Toussaint L'Ouverture, chromolithograph, 1870. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a chromolithograph print showing a head-and-shoulders portrait of Toussaint L'Ouverture, facing right and wearing a robe. It was printed in Detroit in 1870 and is held by the Library of Congress.

Why it matters

Because this portrait was made nearly seventy years after Louverture died, it is not based on a direct likeness but is an imagined image created later. It shows how artists and publishers in the United States pictured Louverture long after his lifetime, reflecting his reputation as a historical figure rather than his actual appearance.

Look closer

  • Since this was made decades after Louverture's death, what choices might the artist have made in imagining his face and clothing?
  • Why might a printer in Detroit in 1870 want to make and sell a portrait of Louverture?
  • What does the existence of this print tell us about Louverture's fame outside Haiti?

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

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Mémoires du Général Toussaint-L'Ouverture écrits par lui-même

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Secondary source

Général Toussaint Louverture

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Sepia-toned engraving of a standing man in a black top hat with a tall plume, a dark military-style coat with chevron-patterned sleeves, and a sash at the waist. He holds a folded paper in one hand and a curved sabre in the other. Behind him are a fortified hillside, a small building on top, palm trees, and a second figure in uniform with a plumed hat.Painting

Secondary source

19th century engraving of L'Ouverture

J. Barlow, after a sketch by Marcus Rainsford · 19th century

Sepia engraving of a scene in a tropical landscape: a tall officer in a plumed hat and uniform stands center, receiving a letter from a man in a long coat at right, while a woman in a long dress, children, and other figures gather around, with palm fronds and trees behind.Painting

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