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ACT
Augustus Washington, son of a former slave, learned to make daguerreotypes in 1843 to offset his college expenses, during his freshman year at Dartmouth College. Biographical notes and details about his work are provided in an annotated slideshow, which includes portraits he made in his first studio at Hartford, Connecticut, and those he made later after he had migrated to Liberia. A fascinating history of the life of an African American living free in a slave society.
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Additional Tags
daguerreotypes, early photographers, history of photography, portraits, african american artists, african american photographers, augustus washington, national portrait gallery, national portrait gallery: daguerreotypes by augustus washington, smithsonian, smithsonian institute, african american artists of note
Classroom Considerations
- Knovation Readability Score: 5 (1 low difficulty, 5 high difficulty)