[Full-length portrait of an African American man standing among some props, facing front]

Archive record

1 photographic print on carte de visite mount : albumen ; 10 x 6 cm.

About this photograph

A formal studio portrait of an unidentified man, produced as a carte de visite. The record gives no name for the sitter, a pattern typical of archival practice in this period, which regularly identified white subjects while leaving Black subjects anonymous.

Studio portraits held particular significance in African American communities during these years. Sitting for a photograph was a deliberate statement of dignity and self-presentation, made at a time when most published images of Black Americans took the form of caricature. Black-owned studios operated in many cities, serving clients whom white establishments often refused or treated dismissively.

The carte de visite format, a small albumen print mounted on card stock, was the standard for portrait photography in this era, widely exchanged and collected.

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

About the format

Rights & Attribution

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