February 13, 2024
Rare 1892 Portrait Found Of Harriet Tubman At Age 70
The article found alongside the Harriet Tubman portrait was written using a racist style known as "plantation dialect."
A Maryland tour organization unveiled a newly discovered photo of Harriet Tubman, this one from 1892, capturing the iconic abolitionist around age 70.
Harriet Tubman Tours owner Alex Green told The Citizen that the rare portrait is from an 1892 edition of The Household Magazine. It depicts Tubman in a decorative dark dress with a pinned-up hairstyle. The accompanying caption identifies her as “Harriet, the Modern Moses, now living in Auburn, N.Y.“
An article alongside the photo, which Green noted was written using a racist style called “plantation dialect,” features an extended Tubman quote about a traumatic incident as an enslaved teen in Dorchester County where she was struck in the head by a two-pound weight hurled at another enslaved person. The incident left her with a fractured skull, which caused lasting epilepsy and visions that Tubman believed opened deeper spiritual insights.
“One night I went to de store with de cook to git some things for de house,” the article reads. “I was ‘shamed to go in, so I stayed outside. Pretty soon, I heard loud talkin’ in de store an’ saw de oberseerer raisin’ up his arm to trow a two-pound iron weight at one ob de slaves.”
Green’s wife, Lisa, posted the rare portrait on social media, which grasped the attention of Tubman biographer Kate Clifford Larson, who also shared the discovery on Facebook. “Such style!” Larson raved of the “beautiful” depiction. She thanked the couple for unearthing another glimpse into Tubman’s life, expressing hopes the original print will surface, too.
This newest photo caps several of the 2022 findings by Harriet Tubman Tours. Last December, they released another never-before-seen 1908 image of Tubman at her Auburn, NY residence. “I thought it’d be interesting to move the needle forward with her wonderful life,” Green stated last year. “History has so much to catch up to.”
“I hope the photos generate more interest in Tubman, her life, and her work to achieve freedom for all,” Green said. The newest magazine portrait offers another chance to inspire learners about her tireless crusade for liberty.