Myron H. Kimball
Wilson Chinn, a Branded Slave from Louisiana

Public Domain

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Artist Myron H. Kimball (American, active 1860s)American, active 1860s

CultureAmerican

Titles

Wilson Chinn, a Branded Slave from Louisiana

Date1863

MediumAlbumen silver print from glass negative

DimensionsImage: 3 7/16 × 2 1/16 in. (8.8 × 5.3 cm)
Sheet: 3 7/16 × 2 1/16 in. (8.8 × 5.3 cm)
Mount: 4 5/16 × 2 3/8 in. (10.9 × 6 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Director's Accessions Endowment

Object number2019.431

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionPhotography was a powerful abolitionist weapon, documenting the horrors of slavery and promoting equality. With his forehead branded by his former imprisoner, Wilson Chinn celebrates his freedom by grinding the tools of slavery beneath his boot. Sales of Chinn’s portrait funded educational programs for freed people and proclaimed a message of triumph.
ProvenanceBret J. Formichi American Civil War Rarities Collection; [Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, October 26, 2019, Lot 47023]; purchased by MFAH, 2019.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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