Ambrotype of African American Woman with Flag
date: label: date made
content: 1860s
notes: label: Description
content: The woman pictured in this ambrotype is believed to be a washerwoman for Union troops quartered outside Richmond, Virginia. There is a hand-painted flag on her dress. Whether it was her choice to include this symbol of freedom, in unknown. It is espcially curious as she was denied many rights due to her gender and race. However, as a washerwoman for the Union Army, one was required to be approved by the quartermaster with a letter of good character. The importance of a clean uniform was such that a soldier's pay might be docked if the washerwomen was not paid. Additioanlly, she would have had to supply her own pots, soaps, and other tools for her trade, which meant that she was also something of a business woman.
place: label: place made
content: United States: Virginia, Richmond
topic: label: Subject
content: Civil War
label: Subject
content: African American
label: Subject
content: Women
label: Subject
content: Workers
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Photographic History
label: See more items in
content: Civil War
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content: Photography
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2005.0002.01
label: accession number
content: 2005.0002
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0002.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: ambrotype
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9.5 cm x 8.2 cm x 1.6 cm; 3 3/4 in x 3 1/4 in x 5/8 in