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[DOUGLASS, FREDERICK.] [Warren, George Kendall, photog.]

[Cabinet card portrait of Frederick Douglass.]

[Boston, ca. 1879.] Albumen print, 4.5” x 3.5” on larger mount. No phtographer’s credit. CONDITION: Very good, minimal wear.

One of three known photographs of Douglass taken by George Kendall Warren, and the best-known image of the three, having served as the basis for the frontispiece in the first edition of Douglass’s The Life and Times (1881).

The editors of Picturing Frederick Douglass note that the portrait “has Douglass at his most statesmanlike…with a stern visionary gaze out to the horizon beyond the viewer.” The photograph is also one of three that were reproduced as frontispieces for different editions of The Life and Times, the other two being by Charles Bell and John Howe Kent. The cabinet card version of this image is far less frequently encountered than the carte-de-visite.

Photographer George Kendall Warren (1824–1884) is remembered for his exceptional portraiture and pioneering work in college yearbook photography. Warren entered the profession as a daguerreotypist in the 1850s, establishing a studio in Lowell, Mass., subsequently moving to Cambridge and Boston. His talent for capturing likenesses led to his photographing numerous celebrities. While his photograph of Frederick Douglass became one of the most recognizable, Warren’s true legacy lies in his specialization in college photography. He became the go-to photographer for capturing senior classes at prestigious institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, creating a lasting visual record of numerous classes in the 1860s and 1870s. Warren’s influence extended beyond his technical proficiency. His work played a crucial role in shaping the visual identity of these institutions and preserving a tangible link between students and their alma maters. Through his lens, he not only documented the physical appearance of his subjects but also captured the spirit of youth and the camaraderie that characterized college life. Warren’s untimely death in 1884 cut short a remarkable career.

REFERENCES: “George Kendall Warren” at the Getty Museum online; Stauffer, et. al. Picturing Frederick Douglass, p. 110, plate 45 (cat. #96), all for the more closely cropped CDV. The cabinet card is not pictured or described.

Item #10416

Price: $9,500.00

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