2020.22.2
African American Nanny with children, Winchester, Virginia
Artist
John B Wortham (J. B. Wortan; John B. Worthan; James B. Wortham)
(1838 – 1889)
Title
African American Nanny with children, Winchester, Virginia
Creation Date
ca. 1880
Century
19th century
Dimensions
4 1/4 x 6 1/2 in. (10.8 x 16.51 cm)
Classification
Photographs
Creation Place
North America, United States, Virginia
Medium and Support
cabinet card
Credit Line
Museum Purchase, Gridley W. Tarbell II Fund
Copyright
Public Domain
Accession Number
2020.22.2
In these two portraits, [African American Woman (Nanny) & Three White Children] and [African American Woman (Nanny) & Three White Children] by John B. Wortham taken a little after the Civil War, an older Black woman holds a white infant while her other charges stand close by. Posed against a painted backdrop, the photograph gives the illusion of domesticity and order. The photographs document the use of Black women as props or background devices. The photographs were not taken for the benefit of the Black servant or given to her family. Their individuality extends only so far as they shed light on the childhood of their charge. We are left to wonder what life the Black woman had, who her loved ones were, and whether the image might have circulated without her knowledge.
Object Description
African American Woman (Nanny) & Three Caucasian Children
