19th Century Writer Who Understood the Power of Images: Frederick Douglass
Likely the most photographed person in the United States of his time, Douglass predicted the rise of visual mediums
Frederick Douglass (c.1818–1895) surprised many people who came to hear him speak at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston.
He appeared there in December 1861, following the April attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina that marks the beginning of the Civil War. Douglass had first earned fame many years earlier for his writing about about his escape from slavery. He expanded his influence and reputation over decades through his work as an abolitionist and writer, seeking to end the persisting crime of slavery.
Yet, Douglass opened this 1861 lecture on the topic of … pictures.
Douglass noted how much praise there was for the engineering successes of Robert Fulton (steam engine) and Samuel Morse (telegraph). In contrast, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787-1851) “the great father of our modern pictures is seldom mentioned, though as worthy as the foremost,” Douglass said.
Daguerre had done something amazing. He had “converted the planet into a picture gallery,” Douglass said.
“Men of all conditions may see themselves as others see them. What was once the exclusive luxury of…
