Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, writer, political activist, reformer has been called the most important African-American of the 1800s. He was also the most photographed American of the 1800s. Douglass, who escaped enslavement to work tirelessly on behalf of his fellow African-Americans, realized the importance of photography in ending slavery and achieving civil rights. The many portraits of Douglass showed the world what freedom and dignity looked like.
"Face of Freedom is a skilled portrait of Frederick Douglass that not only shows his own evolution from a freed slave to abolitionist to retired and wealthy orator but also shows the evolution of black history through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Photographs of Douglass range from an 1852 daguerreotype to a final 1895 deathbed photograph. Along the way, Berne traces the effect photography had on freed slaves and how Douglass negotiated the often complex roads of freedom and advocacy for his people."
School Library Journal, "Looking at U.S. History Through a Different Lens "
"Not only can a picture be worth a thousand words but it can also impact people and history alike. This series looks at famous photographs from the perspective of historians and photographers, revealing the influence each had on a time period. . . .The strength of these books is their usefulness to a variety of curriculums: art, history, and media literacy in particular. Each book includes the famous photographs as well as the story behind each of the individuals who knew how to capture the essence of a time period and how to make a positive difference in the lives of those in need."
