African American Daguerreotpes and Ambrotypes

Joined
May 5, 2016
Hi!
My name is Michael and this is my first post on this forum. I personally collect African American Ambrotypes and Daguerreotypes because those were taken during the time of slavery in the US. To me slavery was terrible but one of the most interesting parts of US history and I am extremely fascinated by it.
Does anybody have any that they would be willing to sell to me? Or just any that they want to show off. I always love seeing these photographs even if I cant purchase them.
So post your African American Ambrotypes and Daguerreotypes here!
-Michael
 
I have quite a few but here are my favorites from my collection:

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1. Sixth plate Ambrotype from Arkansas of a Caucasian man with "man servant". The Caucasian man has a book in his hand that has the date 1858 on it.

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2. Sixth plate Ambrotype of a slave nurse with a Caucasian baby.

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3. An early Sixth plate Daguerreotype of a post mortem African American child.

Okay that's all for now. Hope you enjoy!
 
Great images. Thanks for posting.

I'm particularly taken with the one of the Arkansas Caucasian and his man-servant. The more I read primary source CW memoirs and letters especially, the more I realize how many Confederate soldiers, enlisted men, as well as officers, were accompanied by man-servants during their service in the Confederate army.
 
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I've added another to my collection. It's a ninth plate ambrotype. From the research I have done I have figured out that the jar in the front is called a "salt pig" jar. I don't know a whole lot about it besides that it was used to hold salt. Maybe one of you can help me out as to where in the world this was commonly used or any other information. I would love to be able to pinpoint a location to where this photo was from.
 
Welcome to the forums from a fellow collector of hard or cased images and the host of the Stonewall Jackson Forum! Although I own a fair number of cased images, and a few CDV's, I have yet to find one with a black subject, at least as far as I can remember. But I tend to focus on the war and military subjects - here's one of mine I'm particularly fond of, Corporal David C. Yakey of the 25th Wisconsin Infantry photographed in 1862 wearing one of the very rare Whipple Caps:

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I've added another to my collection. It's a ninth plate ambrotype. From the research I have done I have figured out that the jar in the front is called a "salt pig" jar. I don't know a whole lot about it besides that it was used to hold salt. Maybe one of you can help me out as to where in the world this was commonly used or any other information. I would love to be able to pinpoint a location to where this photo was from.

Wow, this one is really amazing.
 
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for letting us see some of your collection. I'm always hesitant to chime in because I love these old things but can't claim knowledge of them. Still- content can be educating. Have to say images of African American citizens can defy anyone to suspect ' Oh look, that race was also enslaved in that country at the time! ' Our population not in bondage left a photographic legacy- makes me smile because History's face is so much different than what anyone gave us in school. That would be inclusive of college. The African American heritage in this country is so, so complex perhaps it does require illustrations- for we illiterates.

Private Watkins, crazy about your guy! Thanks for posting him!

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Sorry, no case, just love her so had to include her.

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This man reminds me of every usher who ever passed the collection plates in church- ever. When children misbehaved he would raise an eyebrow and they would 'poof', become magically perfect.

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Wish so much to have met this young man.

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I believe her identity was originally with the photo, and she's someone who quite well known- a Grimke associate.

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