Skip to main content

## Search

My Visit

Donate

Smithsonian Institution

## Site Navigation

- Visit   - Hours and Locations
  - Entry and Guidelines
  - Maps and Floor Plans
  - Dining and Shopping
  - Accessibility
  - Visiting with Kids
  - Group Visits     - Group Sales
- What's On   - Exhibitions     - Current
    - Upcoming
    - Past
  - Today's Events
  - Online Events
  - All Events
  - IMAX & Planetarium
- Explore   - Art & Design
  - History & Culture
  - Science & Nature
  - Collections     - Open Access
  - Research Resources     - Libraries
    - Archives       - Smithsonian Institution Archives
      - Air and Space Museum
      - Anacostia Community Museum
      - American Art Museum
      - Archives of American Art
      - Archives of American Gardens
      - American History Museum
      - American Indian Museum
      - Asian Art Museum Archives
      - Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
      - Hirshhorn Archive
      - National Anthropological Archives
      - National Portrait Gallery
      - Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
      - Libraries' Special Collections
  - Podcasts
  - Mobile Apps
- Learn   - For Caregivers
  - For Educators     - Art & Design Resources
    - Science & Nature Resources
    - Social Studies & Civics Resources
    - Professional Development
    - Events for Educators
    - Field Trips
  - For Students
  - For Academics
  - For Lifelong Learners
- Get Involved   - Volunteer     - Behind-the-Scenes
    - Digital Volunteers
    - Smithsonian Call Center
    - Visitor Information Specialist
    - Docent Programs
  - Citizen Science
  - Work with Us     - Office of Human Resources       - Working Here
      - Employee Benefits
      - How to Apply
      - Job Opportunities
      - Job Seekers with Disabilities
      - Frequently Asked Questions
      - SI Civil Program
      - Contact Us
    - Affiliations
    - Global Partners
- Support   - About Membership
  - Become a Member
  - Renew Your Membership
  - Make a Gift
- About   - Museums and Zoo
  - Research Centers
  - Cultural Centers
  - Education
  - Our Organization     - Leadership       - Secretary Bunch
      - Advancement
      - Communications
      - Administration
      - Education
      - Museums and Culture
      - Science and Research
    - Board of Regents       - Members
      - Committees
      - Reading Room
      - Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
      - Contact
      - Schedules and Agendas
      - Meeting Minutes
      - Actions
      - Webcasts
    - General Counsel       - Legal History
      - Internships
      - Records Requests         - Reading Room
      - Tort Claim
      - Subpoenas & Testimonies
      - Events
    - Equal Employment Office       - EEO Complaint Process
      - Individuals with Disabilities
      - Special Emphasis Program
      - Supplier Diversity Program         - Doing Business with Us
        - Policies and Procedures
        - Additional Resources
    - Sponsored Projects       - Policies         - Animal Care and Use
        - Human Research
      - Reports
      - Internships
  - Reports and Plans     - Annual Reports
    - Metrics Dashboard       - Dashboard Home
      - Virtual Smithsonian
      - Public Engagement
      - National Collections
      - Research
      - People & Operations
      - One Smithsonian
    - Strategic Plan
  - Newsdesk     - News Releases
    - Media Contacts
    - Photos and Video
    - Media Kits
    - Fact Sheets
    - Visitor Stats
    - Secretary and Admin Bios
    - Filming Requests

# Sojourner Truth

National Portrait Gallery

                    - Share IconShare Icon                       - 
                      - 
                      - 
                      - 
                      -
                    -                       - 
                      - Print
                      -     DetailsRelatedObject Details- Artist
- Unidentified Artist
- Sitter
- Sojourner Truth, c. 1797 - 26 Nov 1883
- Exhibition Label
- Born Hurley, New York
- In 1843, sixteen years after gaining her freedom, Isabella Baumfree changed her name to Sojourner Truth and emerged as one of the nation’s foremost abolitionists. Speaking throughout the country, she supported her antislavery campaign through sales of her book, the Narrative of Sojourner Truth (1850), and by selling copies of her photograph, which carried the caption, “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance.”
- Truth continued to call for slavery’s abolition during the Civil War and rejoiced when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation (1863). Eager to assist the many refugees from enslavement who were flocking to Washington, D.C., she traveled there in 1864. Appointed by the National Freedmen’s Relief Association to serve as “counselor to the freed people” at Freedmen’s Village—the camp established by the federal government at Arlington Heights, Virginia—Truth earned praise for her “great service rendered to the Freedmen and their families.”
- Nacida en Hurley, Nueva York
- En 1843, a los 16 años de haber obtenido su libertad, Isabella Baumfree cambió su nombre a Sojourner Truth y pasó a ser una de las más notables abolicionistas de la nación. Daba charlas a lo largo del país y costeaba su campaña antiesclavista vendiendo su libro Historia de Sojourner Truth (1850) y fotografías suyas con la inscripción “Vendo la sombra para mantener la sustancia”.
- Truth siguió abogando por la abolición de la esclavitud durante la Guerra Civil y se regocijó cuando Lincoln emitió la Proclamación de Emancipación (1863). Deseosa de ayudar a los muchos refugiados afroamericanos que venían en masa a Washington D.C., ella también vino en 1864. La Asociación Nacional de Socorro a los Libertos la nombró “consejera de las personas libertas” en Freedmen’s Village, el campamento creado por el gobierno federal en Arlington Heights, Virginia. Allí recibió elogios por el “gran servicio prestado a los libertos y sus familias”.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1864
- Object number
- NPG.78.207
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Albumen silver print
- Dimensions
- Image/Sheet: 8.1 x 5.7 cm (3 3/16 x 2 1/4")
- Mount: 9.3 x 6.1 cm (3 11/16 x 2 3/8")
- Mat: 35.6 x 27.9 cm (14 x 11")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
- Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table
- Costume\Outerwear\Shawl
- Photographic format\Carte-de-visite
- Interior\Studio\Photography
- Sojourner Truth: Female
- Sojourner Truth: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer
- Sojourner Truth: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Abolitionist
- Sojourner Truth: Society and Social Change\Enslaved person
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.78.207
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4f871361b-4eeb-4322-9b59-ba9405b2b135
Related Content-                    Votes for Women                 
  CC0Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved iconUsage Conditions Apply>download icon>          This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions).  You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian.  For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.        International media Interoperability FrameworkIIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.View manifestView in Mirador ViewerExpand to view image×                             Footer logo      
Link to homepage
      Footer navigation      - Contact Us
- Accessibility
- Job Opportunities
- Inspector General
- Records Requests
- EEO & Supplier Diversity
- Shop Online
- Host Your Event
- Press Room
- Privacy
- Terms of Use
      Social media links      - Facebook
- Instagram
- Twitter
- YouTube
      Email signup form      Yes, I would like to receive email from the Smithsonian.Deny submitSign up for Smithsonian e-news:        Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)  Back to Top