Sen. B.K. Bruce, Mississippi

Archive record

1 photograph: albumen print ; mount 17 x 11 cm (cabinet card format) | Photograph shows head-and-shoulders portrait of Senator Blanche K. Bruce, the first elected African American senator who served a full term.

About this photograph

The archive dates this portrait to 1865 and identifies the sitter as Blanche K. Bruce, who served as senator from Mississippi and was the first elected African American senator to complete a full term. The date presents a difficulty: Bruce did not take office until 1875. The photograph format, a cabinet card, was not widely used until the late 1860s. The discrepancy suggests the catalogued date may be incorrect.

The credit names Mathew Brady's studio. Studio portraiture carried particular weight for African Americans in this period, when published images were often caricatures. Sitting for a formal portrait was a deliberate assertion of dignity and standing. Black-owned studios operated in many cities to serve clients that white studios frequently refused or treated poorly, though this portrait appears to have been made at Brady's establishment. Cabinet card portraits like this circulated among family, colleagues, and supporters.

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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