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.