Full-length albumen CDV standing portrait. Unmarked. 

A rare view depicting a man who was very likely formerly enslaved and self-emancipated. Thousands of freed people found their way to Union lines during the Civil War and were commonly known in the period as "contrabands." The subject poses defiantly, looking directly at the photographer's lens and one hand resting on his hip. His bare feet and tattered clothes reveal the immense hardship of his life and journey to freedom. 

Portraits of formerly enslaved subjects are exceedingly rare. This view's striking similarity to other, identified views suggests a deliberate effort made by photographers during the time to document the experience and appearance of newly freed people during the Civil War. 

RARE. No other copies of this portrait were located at the time of cataloging. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Cased Images, Union Cases, Albumen Photographs, CDVs, Carte de Visites, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-visite, Cartes-de-visite, CDV, Cabinet Cards, Stereoviews, Stereocards] [African Americana, African American History, Black History, Slavery, Enslavement, Abolition, Emancipation] [USCT, United States Colored Troops, Glory, 54th Massachusetts, Buffalo Soldiers, Black Soldiers]