Fugitive Negroes, fording Rappahannock
Fugitive Negroes, fording Rappahannock

Currently not on view

Fugitive Negroes, fording Rappahannock,

August 1862

Timothy H. O'Sullivan, 1840–1882; born Ireland; died Staten Island, NY; active United States and Panama
2017-34
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More Context

One of the most frequently reproduced photographic images of the Civil War, <em>Fugitive Negroes, Fording Rappahannock</em> captures the retreat of Union soldiers alongside a Black family. Following heavy losses in battles against the Confederate army in 1862, Union soldiers were forced to retreat to the North, leaving behind Black people who remained under the control of the Confederacy. Predating the Emancipation Proclamation, issued at the start of 1863 and declaring all previously enslaved people free, this photograph shows a family taking liberation into their own hands and seeking the protection of Union soldiers. This image reflects the experiences of many Black people who accompanied the Union soldiers in their northward retreat.

Information

Title
Fugitive Negroes, fording Rappahannock
Dates

August 1862

Maker
Timothy H. O'Sullivan
Medium
Albumen print
Dimensions
8.6 × 11 cm (3 3/8 × 4 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund
Object Number
2017-34
Place Depicted

North America, United States, Virginia, vicinity of Rappahannock Station

Inscription
In ink, along bottom: Fugitive Negroes, fording Rappahannock
Culture
American
Type
photographs, albumen prints
Techniques
albumen process
Subject
men, women, rivers, carts, horses, soldiers, oxen, wars, figures (representations)

[Lee Gallery, Winchester, MA]; purchased by the Princeton University Art Museum, 2017.

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