Augustus Washington

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Augustus Washington (* 1820/1821, Trenton , New Jersey ; † June 7, 1875 , Monrovia , Liberia ) was an Afro-American daguerreographer . He emigrated to Liberia from the United States of America in 1853 . He wasn't the only black photographer of the time, but one of the few well-documented.

Augustus Washington was born in 1820 or 1821. His father was a slave in Virginia . The mother, who died early, is said to have come from the Far East. His stepmother was a former slave who was later described by Washington as a good Christian of Indian, white and black ancestry.

Washington studied at the Oneida Institute in Whitesboro, New York and at the Kimball Union Academy, and then attended Dartmouth College (1843). He learned the daguerreotype during the winter break of 1843. He left Dartmouth College in the fall of 1844 and moved to Hartford, Connecticut , where he opened a daguerreotype studio in 1846.

He was successful in business, but gave up everything he had achieved because he saw no future and no proper place for himself in American society. In November 1853 he emigrated to West Africa with his wife and two young children. In Monrovia , the capital of Liberia, he reopened a photo studio and also founded temporary studios in Sierra Leone , Gambia and Senegal . Still a photographer in 1858, he then became a sugar cane farmer on an extensive property on the St. Paul River and gave up photography. He was a respected member of society and won a seat in both houses of the Liberian Parliament, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Augustus Washington died in 1875.

Works

  • Chancy Brown, Guard in the Liberia Senate.

  • Joseph Jenkins Roberts , the first and seventh presidents of Liberia.

  • Urias McGill, a merchant from Monrovia.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ann M. Shumard: A Durable Memento
  2. ↑ smithsonianmag.com: A Durable Memento , accessed April 30, 2011
  3. ^ "An excellent Christian woman of Indian, white and negro extraction"
  4. ↑ Augustus Washington: Hartford's Black Daguerreotype. The Connecticut Historical Society, archived from the original on November 14, 2007 ; Retrieved March 18, 2008 .
  5. ↑ A Durable Memento. National Portrait Gallery , archived from the original on March 3, 2008 ; Retrieved March 18, 2008 : “The son of a former slave, Washington was born in Trenton, New Jersey. As a youth, he embraced the abolitionist movement and struggled to obtain an education, studying at both the Oneida Institute and Kimball Union Academy before entering Dartmouth College in 1843. "

Web links

Commons : Augustus Washington  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME Washington, Augustus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Afro-American daguerreographer
DATE OF BIRTH 1820 or 1821
PLACE OF BIRTH Trenton , New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH June 7, 1875
Place of death Monrovia , Liberia