The Black Portrait Photograph collection contains portraits of Black individuals and groups, collected from various sources by the University of Delaware Library. The photographers, sitters, and settings of these photographs are unidentified, unless otherwise noted. This repository includes “The Baltimore Collection.” Both are artificially created collections: “The Baltimore Collection” was donated to the University of Delaware; the Black Portrait Photograph collection was formed through intentional acquisitions, from 2019 onward.

This site complements the digital archive for both collections and the metadata developed for its Artstor presentation. This foundational research on the Black Portrait Photograph collection was undertaken during the spring 2021 and fall 2023 semesters by scholars in the seminar known as Curating Hidden Collections & the Black Archive. The collaborative endeavor has and will continue to engage librarians, curators, faculty, and guest scholars, in the responsibility for the afterlife of the collection, the individuals portrayed therein and the potential of this archive to inform and enhance our world and that of others. This site includes images of two tintypes that have not been assigned to the Black Portrait Photograph Collection. Both require further research.

Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Museums, and Press
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library