Portrait of Harriet Bell Hayden
date: label: date made
content: 1864 circa
name: label: referenced
content: Martin, Sella John
label: depicted (sitter)
content: Hayden, Harriet Bell
notes: label: Description
content: The photograph you see here is one of a handful of surviving images of Harriet Bell Hayden, a prominent Black abolitionist who lived in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood before the Civil War. She is best known for operating a safe house on the Underground Railroad and sheltering hundreds escaping slavery in the United States on a perilous journey to Canada. We often forget that, after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, no place in the United States was free from the terror of slavery. The law declared that all enslaved persons, North or South, would be returned to their enslavers and that any person aiding them would be arrested and fined.
label: Description
content: Harriet and Lewis knew firsthand what it took to liberate oneself. Born into slavery in Kentucky, they had lived under the terrible weight of bondage—facing daily, grinding acts of violence since birth. After they married, they made the hard decision to risk their lives and to attempt the journey to Canada. Yet living in Canada must not have felt right because, after one year, they returned to the United States and committed themselves to the liberation of their people.  Settling in Boston, the Haydens started a clothing business, purchased a home, joined local abolitionist networks and opened their home to those escaping bondage.
label: Description
content: Providing sanctuary was dangerous. Lewis had purchased his freedom after leaving Kentucky, but Harriett and Joseph legally remained enslaved. As fugitives, they were subject to arrest and capture not just by the police, but by any citizen who chose to turn them in. Operating a safe house put the family on the front lines. To protect themselves and those they sheltered, she and Lewis placed rifles and kegs of gunpowder by the front door and made sure that a weapon was always within each throughout their home.
label: Description
content: Harriet Bell Hayden was the glue that held the center of this active household. Her work reminds us of an overlooked but vital component to any successful political movement—building community. To go up against the full force of United States government and the powerful economic interests (North and South) invested in slavery required building courage, trust, and focus among a group of people who have every reason to hide and remain in isolation. By opening her home, Harriet provided a safe space where people could slowly let down their guard by sharing meals, casual conversations and formal organizing meetings.
label: Description
content: This photograph is an eloquent physical manifestation of her community building. The photograph you see above is a carte-de-visite made popular in the 1850s. Glued on sturdy cardboard, these photographs were built to last so they could be handed out as a type of calling card or even sold in shops. People, like Harriet, collected photographs of friends, family, and the occasional celebrity and kept them in special carte de visite albums to reflect on those they loved and admired. Although Harriet must have exchanged her photograph with colleagues, friends, and family, this is the copy known to survive. Although we do not know who owned the album, we can assume that they treasured her acquaintance.
label: Description
content: When sitting for this portrait, Harriet was able to craft her image. If you look closely, you can see that she adorned herself in the latest hairstyle and her finest clothing--her full skirt, lace collar, and intricately crocheted shawls—to reflect her inner dignity and self-regard. In doing so, she demanded to be seen and respected. In a nation where Black women were sexualized, subject to assault, and dismissed as faceless workers, Harriet asserted her personhood and demanded respect. To explore more visit the Boston Athenaeum to view Harriet Bell Hayden’s personal care de visite albums. There you will see the richness of the communities she built.
place: label: Associated Place
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
topic: label: general subject association
content: Reform Movements
label: general subject association
content: abolitionism
label: general subject association
content: Slavery
label: classified
content: Anti-Slavery
label: general subject association
content: African American
label: general subject association
content: Civil War
label: general subject association
content: Women
label: related event
content: Civil War
setName: label: See more items in
content: Political History: Political History, Reform Movements Collection
label: See more items in
content: Government, Politics, and Reform
label: See more items in
content: Photography
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2018.0124.04l
label: accession number
content: 2018.0124
label: catalog number
content: 2018.0124.04
objectType: label: Object Name
content: page, carte-de-visite album
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: albumen (images material)
label: Physical Description
content: printed (image production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 7/8 in x 4 5/8 in; 14.9225 cm x 11.7475 cm