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Secondary sourcePaintingundated

Toussaint Louverture print, after Delpech

Delpech (attributed, unverified) · undated

An undated lithograph portrait said to show Toussaint Louverture in military uniform, with a facsimile signature below.

A portrait identified as Toussaint Louverture, though the print's authorship and date cannot be confirmed.

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Lithograph portrait of Toussaint Louverture in profile facing left, wearing a plumed bicorne hat and a military uniform with embroidered collar and epaulette, with a lace jabot. Printed caption below reads Toussaint Louverture, with a facsimile signature beneath.
Attributed to Delpech, Toussaint Louverture (undated print). Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a lithograph print held by the Library of Congress, showing a man identified in the caption as Toussaint Louverture, shown in profile wearing a plumed hat and military uniform, with a printed signature beneath. The name 'Delpech' is linked to the print on its shelflist record, but the record itself warns that this information is unverified.

Why it matters

Portraits like this shaped how later generations imagined Toussaint Louverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution, even when their exact origins are uncertain. The uncertainty itself is a useful lesson in how historical images can circulate without solid documentation.

Look closer

  • What details in the uniform and pose suggest this is meant to be an official or honorific portrait?
  • Why might a library keep a print even when it cannot confirm who made it or when?
  • How does an unverified caption affect how much we should trust an image?

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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Book cover in green, pink, red, blue, black and orange marbled paper with a black spine on the left. A white label at top left shows handwritten call numbers 'Lk 554' and 'g°'. Text at bottom reads 'Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France'.Document

Primary source

Constitution républicaine des colonies française de Saint-Domaingue

Toussaint Louverture · 1801

Title page of a book, a scan of a yellowed printed page reading 'Mémoires du Général Toussaint-L'Ouverture, écrits par lui-même', with a publisher's ornament and 'Paris, Pagnerre, Libraire-Éditeur, 1853' at the bottom. The book is attributed to Saint-Remy, not handwritten manuscript.Book

Primary source

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

Toussaint Louverture · 1853 (text written 1802)

Painted portrait of a man in a dark-blue and red military uniform with gold epaulettes, a white sash with gold stars, and white trousers. He holds a folded paper in his right hand and stands before a stormy blue sky and dark mountains, with a sword hilt visible at his left side.Painting

Secondary source

Général Toussaint Louverture

19th century

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

Secondary source

Toussaint Louverture reçoit une lettre du Premier Consul

Charles Monnet · 1802

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