[Col. T. W. Higginson, commander of the 1st SC Volunteers (the first African American regiment)]

Archive record

1 photographic print on cabinet card ; 16.5 x 11 cm. | Photograph shows a head and shoulders portrait of Higginson in civilian clothing. He was also an Abolitionist in Worcester, Mass., working as an Underground Railroad operator.

About this photograph

Thomas Wentworth Higginson commanded the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, the first African American regiment in the Union Army. Before the war, he worked as an abolitionist and Underground Railroad operator in Worcester, Massachusetts.

This photograph was taken in 1905, forty years after the war's end. The cabinet card shows him in civilian dress rather than uniform. William Notman, a prominent studio photographer, made the portrait.

The archive's caption identifies Higginson by his military role but shows him long after he left that service. By the time this photograph was made, he had spent decades in other work, though the record preserves his connection to the regiment he once led.

Compiled from the catalogue record and reference notes on the formats and events involved. The archive record above is the primary source.

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