Secondary sourcePainting1893
Women of Distinction portrait of Sojourner Truth
Lawson Andrew Scruggs (editor) · 1893
An engraved portrait included in an 1893 biographical compendium of notable African American women, honoring Sojourner Truth after her death.
This portrait was included in an 1893 book honoring notable African American women, including Truth.
About this source
What it is
This is an engraving published in Women of Distinction, an 1893 biographical compendium edited by Lawson Andrew Scruggs, intended to represent Sojourner Truth among notable African American figures of the era.
Why it matters
The book was created to document and honor the achievements of African American women shortly after Truth's death. Including her portrait in such a compendium shows how Black writers and editors worked to preserve and celebrate her legacy as part of a wider record of Black achievement.
Look closer
- Compare this portrait with other images of Truth in this archive — do you notice differences in how she is shown?
- Why might an editor like Scruggs have wanted to include her in a book honoring women of distinction?
- What questions would you ask about the accuracy of a portrait made after a person's death?
This painting 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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