Object Details
- Artist
- E. W. Bouvé Lithography Co.
- Publisher
- Henry Prentiss, born early 19th century
- Sitter
- Frederick Douglass, Feb 1818 - 20 Feb 1895
- Exhibition Label
- Born into slavery, Frederick Douglass was determined by his early teens to escape his bondage. In 1838, he fled northward to settle in Massachusetts, where he became a key figure in the abolitionist movement. He gained widespread respect for his 1845 autobiography and zealous, eloquent oratorical skills.
- The theme of fugitive slaves in popular imagery and contemporary songs of the 1840s reflected either the anxiety of slaveholders or mounting support for the abolitionist cause. This music sheet cover of “The Fugitive’s Song” turns on its head the traditional newspaper advertisement for a fugitive slave to honor the esteemed leader. Although it depicts Douglass neither as writer not orator, but as a barefooted slave in flight, pointing at a signpost to New England seen on the right, the text below praises Douglass for his “fearless advocacy.” The song was one of a number of abolitionist compositions created by Jesse Hutchinson of the famous Hutchinson Family singers.
- Al llegar a la adolescencia, Frederick Douglass, quien nació esclavo, ya estaba resuelto a escapar de su esclavitud. En 1838, se fugó hacia el norte y se estableció en Massachusetts, donde se convirtió en una figura clave del movimiento abolicionista. Llegó a ser muy respetado por su autobiografía (1845) y por su elocuencia oratoria.
- El tema de los esclavos fugitivos en la imaginería popular y las canciones de la década de 1840 reflejaba por un lado la ansiedad de los amos y por otro el creciente apoyo a la causa abolicionista. Esta portada de la partitura de “La canción del fugitivo” da un giro al anuncio tradicional de búsqueda de un esclavo fugitivo en los diarios y lo convierte en un homenaje al estimado líder Frederick Douglass. Aunque no lo ilustra como escritor ni orador, sino como un esclavo descalzo que huye y señala un letrero hacia Nueva Inglaterra, el texto al pie alaba a Douglass por su “defensa intrépida” de la causa abolicionista. Esta fue una de varias canciones abolicionistas creadas por Jesse Hutchinson, de la famosa familia Hutchinson de cantantes.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1845
- Object number
- NPG.2014.29.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Medium
- Lithograph on paper
- Dimensions
- Image/Sheet: 33.1 × 24.6 cm (13 1/16 × 9 11/16")
- Image: 29.8 × 20 cm (11 3/4 × 7 7/8")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Exterior\Landscape
- Nature & Environment\Plant\Tree
- Nature & Environment\Animal\Horse
- Sheet music
- Frederick Douglass: Male
- Frederick Douglass: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
- Frederick Douglass: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer
- Frederick Douglass: Arts and Culture\Journalism and Media\Newspaper publisher
- Frederick Douglass: Politics and Government\Diplomat\Minister
- Frederick Douglass: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Social reformer\Civil rights activist\Abolitionist
- Frederick Douglass: Law and Crime\Enslaved person
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2014.29.1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4d05400a2-7d17-418e-919d-8e1164df7e4d
