[ABOLITION] Frederick Douglass Portrait by Hurn

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Day 2: Early & Historic Americana

By Fleischer's Auctions

Oct 10, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-10-10 09:00:00 2025-10-10 09:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Day 2: Early & Historic Americana https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/fleischers-auctions/day-2-early-historic-americana-19250
Day one of Fleischer's 2025 Fall Premier auction includes early American artifacts, documents, signatures, ephemera, and weaponry. Rare material relating to African American history is featured, as well as fine examples of antique photography. Fleischer's Auctions info@fleischersauctions.com

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• Lot Description

  Bust vignetted albumen studio portrait of Frederick Douglass. Philadelphia: J.W. Hurn, [14 January 1862]. Photographer’s imprint printed to mount verso. Picturing Frederick Douglass, cat #18. 

   

  A rare, wartime portrait of the famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass taken by John White Hurn, who assisted him during the tumult of John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry. 

   

  Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) intuited that John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry would be a suicide mission, so, despite Brown’s request for him to join, Douglass did not participate. Afterwards, with southerners hungry for vengeance, Douglass was targeted as a participant. Photographer and telegraph operator John W. Hurn (1823-1887) received a telegram instructing the sheriff to arrest Douglass, but chose to delay its delivery, instead informing Douglass’s associates. His swift action allowed Douglass to evade his unjustified arrest. 

   

  This image was almost certainly taken by Hurn when Douglass visited Philadelphia on 14 January 1862 to speak at National Hall, which was just one block from Hurn's studio. Hurn took three (extant) views during this sitting and would produce six additional views from subsequent sittings in 1866 and 1873. (Stauffer, Trodd, & Bernier, Picturing Frederick Douglass,  p. 19, cat #18). 

   

  VERY RARE.  Picturing Frederick Douglass locates four copies held in collections. We found only one copy that has sold at auction.

   

  [Civil War, Union, Confederate] [African Americana, African American History, Black History, Slavery, Enslavement, Abolition, Emancipation] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs][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]

  Condition

  Request Condition Report

  Lower edge trimmed. 

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