Face of Freedom

Frederick Douglass—abolitionist, writer, political activist, reformer—has been called the most important African-American of the 1800s. He was also the most photographed American of the 1800s. Douglass, who escaped enslavement to work tirelessly on behalf of his fellow African-Americans, realized the importance of photography in ending slavery and achieving civil rights. The many portraits of Douglass showed the world what freedom and dignity looked like.