You've probably seen her face on social media during Black History Month. Or maybe on a "Women in STEM" poster. She looks dignified, often wearing a high-collared Victorian dress, her hair pulled back in a neat bun. It’s a powerful image of the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the United States.
There’s just one massive problem. Honestly, it’s a bit of a historical gut punch. That Rebecca Lee Crumpler picture you’re looking at? It almost certainly isn't her. It's a weird quirk of history. Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was a pioneer who broke every barrier the 19th century could throw at her. She graduated from the New England Female Medical College in 1864. She cared for formerly enslaved people in Richmond after the Civil War. She wrote one of the first medical books by an African American author. Yet, despite her monumental achievements, history didn't leave us a single verified photograph of her. Not one.
The Search for the Real Rebecca Lee Crumpler Picture
People want to see their heroes. We’re visual creatures, right? When we talk about Dr. Crumpler, we want to look her in the eye and see the grit it took to navigate a medical world that didn't want her there. Because of this, the internet has basically "borrowed" images of other Black women to fill the void.
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The Case of the Wrong Identity
If you search for a Rebecca Lee Crumpler picture, you’ll frequently see a photo of Mary Eliza Mahoney. Now, Mahoney was also a total legend—the first Black professional nurse in the U.S.—but she isn't Crumpler.
Other times, you might see a portrait of Eliza Ann Grier, the first Black woman licensed to practice medicine in Georgia. It’s a classic case of historical "close enough" that does a disservice to both women. Using one trailblazer's face to represent another effectively erases the individuality of both.
The Sun Oil Medal and Composite Images
There is another image that floats around: a profile on a bronze medallion. This one is tricky. In the 1980s, the Sun Oil Company created a series of medals for the Charles Drew Award. Since they couldn't find an actual Rebecca Lee Crumpler picture, they commissioned an artist to create a "representative" likeness.
It’s an educated guess based on the fashion of the time. It’s not a photograph. It’s an artist’s tribute.
What Did She Actually Look Like?
We aren't totally in the dark, though. We have words. Sometimes words are better than a grainy, sepia-toned photo anyway.
In July 1894, a reporter for the Boston Daily Globe actually met her. They described her as a "very pleasant and intellectual woman." They noted she was "tall and straight, with light brown skin and gray hair." At the time, she was about 63 years old.
She lived in a brick row house at 67 Joy Street in Boston’s Beacon Hill. Imagine her walking those cobblestone streets—a tall, gray-haired doctor who had seen the horrors of the post-war South and the struggle of the Boston tenements. She didn't need a portrait to be formidable.
The Book is the Real Picture
If you really want to "see" her, you have to look at her work. In 1883, she published A Book of Medical Discourses. It’s a fascinating read. Most medical texts back then were written by men for other men. Crumpler wrote for women.
She spoke directly to mothers. She gave advice on teething, breastfeeding, and how to keep a nursery clean to prevent "cholera infantum."
- She was practical. She suggested mothers save ten cents a day to ensure their children had what they needed.
- She was compassionate. She spent years treating people who couldn't pay her a dime.
- She was authoritative. She didn't have a white male doctor write a fancy preface to "validate" her book; she wrote the introduction herself.
That book is the most authentic Rebecca Lee Crumpler picture we will ever have. It’s her voice, her brain, and her heart on the page.
Why the Lack of a Photo Matters
It’s easy to get frustrated that we don't have a photo. But it says a lot about the era. For a Black woman in the 1800s—even a doctor—photography was an expensive luxury. Moreover, the historical record is biased. It preserves the likenesses of those it deems "important," and for a long time, the archives didn't think Dr. Crumpler fit that bill.
She was even buried in an unmarked grave for over a century. It wasn't until 2020 that she finally got a proper headstone in Fairview Cemetery, thanks to a group of dedicated historians and the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library.
Practical Steps to Honor Her Legacy
Since we can't look at a real Rebecca Lee Crumpler picture, we have to keep her memory alive through action and accuracy.
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- Check your sources. If you see a photo labeled as Dr. Crumpler, look closer. Is it Mary Eliza Mahoney? Is it an illustration from the 1980s? Don't spread misinformation, even if it's well-intentioned.
- Read her actual words. You can find digital copies of A Book of Medical Discourses through the National Library of Medicine. It’s way more interesting than a photo.
- Support Black women in medicine. The best way to honor a pioneer who had no portrait is to support the people following in her footsteps today.
- Visit the landmarks. If you're in Boston, go to Beacon Hill. Stand outside 67 Joy Street. Visit her grave at Fairview Cemetery. Seeing the places where she actually lived and worked is more grounding than any mislabeled JPEG on Pinterest.
Stop looking for a face and start looking at the path she cleared. She didn't leave a photo, but she left a blueprint for every woman of color who has ever put on a white coat. That's the real image that lasts.