Portrait of Sojourner Truth, "I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance," 1864

01

Artifact Overview

Cartes-de-visites, small, professionally made photographs on cardboard stock, remained popular in the United States from the Civil War in the 1860s through the 1880s. This carte-de-visite depicts prominent abolitionist Sojourner Truth. She sold these small portraits to raise money for speaking tours and garner support for the antislavery cause.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Carte-de-visite (Card photograph)

Subject Date

1864

Place of Creation

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

96.72.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Mounting board

Technique

Albumen process
Mounting

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)
Beige (Color)
Brown

Dimensions

Height: 3.438 in
Width: 2.5 in

Inscriptions

Text under image reads: I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance. / SOJOURNER TRUTH. Text on back of image reads: Entered according to the act of Congress in / the year 1864 by SOJOURNER TRUTH./ in the Clerk's Office of the U.S. District / Court, for the Eastern District of Mich.