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Primary sourcePhotograph1850

William Lloyd Garrison

Southworth & Hawes · 1850

A daguerreotype portrait of William Lloyd Garrison taken in 1850 by the Boston photography studio Southworth & Hawes.

This daguerreotype is a lifetime photographic portrait of Garrison himself.

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Sepia-toned daguerreotype portrait of a bald older man with wire-rimmed spectacles, wearing a dark suit, high white collar, and bow tie, turned three-quarter toward the left against a dark background. The plate has worn metallic edges.
Southworth & Hawes, William Lloyd Garrison, 1850. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This daguerreotype photograph of William Lloyd Garrison was made in 1850 by Southworth & Hawes, a noted Boston photography studio. It is held today by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

Photographs like this one are rare lifetime images of major historical figures, capturing their actual likeness rather than an artist's impression. This portrait shows Garrison at the height of the 1850s struggle over slavery, as he continued his work as editor of The Liberator and leader of the abolitionist movement.

Look closer

  • What can you tell about Garrison's character or status from his clothing and pose?
  • Why might a studio portrait like this have been commissioned?
  • What does a photograph show us that a painted portrait might not, and what might it still leave out?

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

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Yellowed title page of the 1845 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Text reads 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself', 'Boston: Published at the Anti-Slavery Office, No. 25 Cornhill, 1845'.Book

Primary source

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Frederick Douglass · 1845

Title page of 'Thoughts on African Colonization' (Boston, 1832). Large heading reads 'Thoughts on African Colonization: or an impartial exhibition of the doctrines, principles and purposes of the American Colonization Society', with text 'together with the resolutions, addresses and remonstrances of the free people of color'. Epigraphs from the Bible appear below, followed by 'By Wm. Lloyd Garrison'. Imprint: 'Boston: Printed and published by Garrison and Knapp, No. 11, Merchants' Hall, 1832'.Book

Primary source

Thoughts on African Colonization

William Lloyd Garrison · 1832

Oil portrait of a balding older man with wire-rimmed spectacles, wearing a black coat, white shirt, and black neckcloth, against a dark brown background. He faces forward with a neutral expression.Painting

Primary source

William Lloyd Garrison

Nathaniel Jocelyn · 1833

Masthead of The Liberator newspaper, an engraved illustration with the title THE LIBERATOR in large letters across the bottom. Scenes include an auction of enslaved people with a sign reading slaves, horses, sheep, and other goods, a central robed figure with arms raised breaking chains, enslaved people working in fields, and a gate at right. Below the title is the motto Our Country is the World, our Countrymen are all Mankind.Newspaper article

Primary source

The Liberator, 15 December 1854

Hammatt Billings · 15 December 1854

Front page of The Liberator, Boston, Friday, January 3, 1862, Vol. XXXII, No. 1, Whole No. 1619. A woodcut vignette of figures, including a standing woman, sits above the masthead. Dense columns of small printed text fill the page.Newspaper article

Primary source

The Liberator

William Lloyd Garrison · 1831-1865

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