Most people have a very specific image in their heads when they think of Harriet Tubman. It’s usually that one portrait of her as an elderly woman. She’s sitting in a chair, looking frail but determined, wearing a thick headwrap and a heavy coat. It’s the face of a grandmother. But a few years ago, a "new" photograph of Harriet Tubman surfaced, and honestly, it completely flipped the script on how we visualize the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad.
She's young. She's stylish. She looks like she could take on the world, which, let's be real, she basically did.
Finding an authentic photograph of Harriet Tubman from her prime years is like finding a needle in a haystack of history. Photography in the mid-19th century wasn't exactly a selfie-at-the-gym situation. It was expensive, formal, and deeply intentional. When a previously unknown portrait of Tubman was discovered in an album owned by her friend and fellow activist Emily Howland, it didn't just add a photo to the archives; it restored a sense of vitality to a woman often frozen in the amber of her old age.
The 2017 Discovery: A Younger, Fiercer Harriet
For decades, the public only saw Tubman through the lens of her later years. We saw the survivor. We saw the woman who had already endured the beatings, the brain injury, the Civil War, and the grueling treks through the woods. But in 2017, the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture jointly acquired an album that contained a portrait from the late 1860s.
This photograph of Harriet Tubman shows her in her late 40s.
She’s wearing a dark, fashionable dress with a fine lace collar. Her expression isn't just one of endurance; it’s one of quiet command. You can see the strength in her shoulders. It’s a reminder that during the height of her work, she wasn't some mystical, ancient figure. She was a woman in her prime, navigating high-stakes espionage and life-or-death rescues. Experts like Kate Clifford Larson, a leading Tubman biographer, have noted how this specific image bridges the gap between the legendary "Moses" and the actual human being who walked those miles.
Historians had to do some serious detective work to verify it. They looked at the photographer's imprint on the back—Harvey B. Lindsley of Auburn, New York. They compared the facial structure with known images. It checked out. This wasn't just a win for historians; it was a win for anyone who wants to see the "real" Harriet beyond the textbook sketches.
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Why Every Photograph of Harriet Tubman Was a Political Act
Back then, getting your picture taken wasn't just about vanity. For Black Americans in the 19th century, it was a claim to humanity. By sitting for a professional photograph of Harriet Tubman made a statement: I am here. I am a citizen. I am worthy of being recorded.
Think about the context. Tubman spent a huge chunk of her life as a "fugitive" under the law. She was a woman with a bounty on her head. For her to walk into a photography studio and sit still for several seconds while a camera captured her likeness was a radical act of defiance. It was proof of her freedom.
There’s another famous image, taken around 1892, where she’s wearing a white shawl. That shawl has its own story. It was a gift from Queen Victoria. When you look at that photograph of Harriet Tubman, you aren't just looking at a portrait; you're looking at a woman displaying her international status. She wasn't just a local hero. She was a global icon of liberty. The shawl serves as a silent "flex" against every person who ever tried to claim she was less than human.
The Problem With the "Old" Images
The reason the younger photo resonated so much is that we have a bad habit of aging our heroes. We like our revolutionaries to look safe. We like them to look like they’re done fighting. When we only see the photograph of Harriet Tubman as an old woman, we subconsciously distance ourselves from the physical reality of her work.
It's hard to imagine an 80-year-old carrying a pistol and leading people through swamps in the middle of the night. It's much easier to see that in the 1868 portrait. You see the muscle. You see the intensity in the eyes. That woman? She looks like she’s ready to move.
Misconceptions: What the Photos Don't Show
One thing a photograph of Harriet Tubman can’t capture is the sound of her voice. Or the way she would suddenly fall asleep due to the narcolepsy caused by a traumatic head injury she suffered as a teenager.
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People often assume she was a tall, imposing figure because of her reputation. Nope. She was tiny. Likely barely five feet tall. Photography can be deceptive with scale. In many portraits, she’s seated, which hides her stature but emphasizes her presence.
Another misconception involves her clothing. While we see her in "nice" dresses in these photos, those were often borrowed or specifically chosen for the sitting. In real life, Tubman was practical. She wore boots. She wore skirts that wouldn't get caught in the brush. The photograph of Harriet Tubman we see in museums is the "Sunday Best" version of a woman who spent most of her time in the dirt, doing the hard work of liberation.
The $20 Bill Controversy and the Power of the Image
You can't talk about a photograph of Harriet Tubman without mentioning the ongoing saga of the $20 bill. The plan to put her on the currency relies heavily on these specific historical images. Which version of Harriet do we want representing the United States?
- The fierce, young Harriet from the Howland album?
- The dignified elder with the Queen Victoria shawl?
- The traditional 1880s portrait seen in most schoolbooks?
The choice of image matters because currency is the most widely distributed "portrait gallery" in the world. Using the 1868 photograph of Harriet Tubman would emphasize her role as a soldier and a spy. Using the later images emphasizes her role as a humanitarian and a suffragist.
The debate itself proves how much weight we put on her visual legacy. It’s not just about history; it’s about what we value today. We want to see ourselves in her. We want to see the grit.
How to View the Original Portraits
If you’re a history nerd, you shouldn't just look at these on a phone screen. Seeing a 150-year-old photograph of Harriet Tubman in person is a different experience. The texture of the paper, the slight fading of the ink—it makes the history feel tactile.
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- The National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington, D.C.): They hold the original Emily Howland album. It’s a holy grail for Tubman fans.
- The Library of Congress: They have digitized many of these images in high resolution. You can zoom in and see the fraying on her sleeves and the lines in her face.
- The Harriet Tubman Home (Auburn, NY): This is where she lived out her final days. Seeing her image in the context of the house she actually owned—as a Black woman in the 1800s—is incredibly powerful.
Authenticating a New Image
What if you find an old photo in your attic? It happens. But authenticating a photograph of Harriet Tubman is incredibly difficult. Experts look for:
- Provenance: Who owned the photo? Is there a paper trail?
- The "Cartes de Visite" Format: This was the "calling card" style of the era.
- Biometric matching: Comparing ear shapes and nose bridges with the few confirmed images we have.
The Actionable Legacy: Beyond the Lens
Looking at a photograph of Harriet Tubman is a good start, but the real point is to understand the logistics of her life. She was a master of disguise. She used spirituals as coded signals. She was the first woman to lead an armed assault during the Civil War (the Combahee River Raid).
If you want to truly honor the woman in the photos, don't just admire the portrait. Look at the local history of the Underground Railroad in your own area. Most people live within twenty miles of a "station" and don't even know it.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Knowledge:
- Visit the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland. It covers the landscape where she actually operated. Seeing the marshes helps you understand why she looks so hardened in her portraits.
- Read "Bound for the Promised Land" by Kate Clifford Larson. It’s arguably the most accurate biography and provides the context for why these photos were taken in the first place.
- Support the preservation of Black historical sites. Many of the places where Tubman stayed are being lost to development. Digital archives of her photos are great, but the physical land tells the rest of the story.
- Analyze the "Why." Next time you see a photograph of Harriet Tubman, ask yourself who the photographer was and what Tubman was trying to communicate to the world at that exact moment. Was she showing her freedom? Her age? Her status?
The images we have of Harriet Tubman are more than just historical records. They are a bridge to a woman who was often described as "invisible" by those who tried to catch her. Today, she is one of the most visible women in American history, and those few surviving photographs are the reason why she remains so vivid in our collective imagination.