Wilson Chinn

1863

Myron H. Kimball

Associated Names
Myron H. Kimball

Artist, American, 1827 - 1912

This appears to be a tan-colored photograph showing a man standing upright, his body facing slightly to his left and his head turned to look at us. His skin tone is unclear due to the tan color of the photo. His hair is short and dark, and he has a graying beard. He is wearing a jacket with large buttons down the front, trousers, and shoes. He appears to have an iron collar around his neck that has three long points sticking up. There are chains around his ankles, and a long rod attached to his left leg. On the floor next to him are other objects including a paddle, a thick ring, and a long object that is only partially visible. The floor he stands on and the wall behind him are plain. Below the photograph are several lines of text.

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Artwork overview

More About this Artwork

Article:  Rare Early Photographs of African American Life

A large collection of personal photographs offers a glimpse of Black entrepreneurship and self-expression in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Ross Kelbaugh, Marriottsville, MD; NGA purchase, 2023.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

lower center on mount printed in black ink: Wilson Chinn, a branded slave from Louisiana; also ex- / hibiting instruments of torture used to punish slaves. / PHOTOGRAPHED BY KIMBALL, 477 BROADWAY, N. Y. / Ent'd accord'g to act of Congress in the year 1863, by Geo. II / HANKS, in the Clerk's Office of the U. S. for the So. Dist. of N. Y.; on verso, by Ross Kelbaugh, top right in graphite: 6.38ELHH / AF029A; center printed in black ink: The nett proceeds from the sale of these Photographs / will be devoted exclusively to the education of colored / people in the Department of the Gulf, now under the com- / mand of Major General Banks.

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