Artwork Page for Black Horseman in Front of a Doorway

Details / Information for Black Horseman in Front of a Doorway

Black Horseman in Front of a Doorway

c. 1855

France, 19th century

Medium
salt print from wet collodion negative
Measurements
Image: 15.5 x 13.5 cm (6 1/8 x 5 5/16 in.); Mounted: 47 x 30.6 cm (18 1/2 x 12 1/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1999.22
Public Domain
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Location
230 Photography
Print
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Did You Know?

This photograph may be one of the earliest photographic representations of a Black high-ranking military officer.

Description

The uniform of the rider identifies him as a major in the Chasseurs d’Afrique (African Light Infantry), a cavalry group within France’s colonial army in Africa. By 1855, African people were living in France, so he may have been born and raised there or have been African-born and in France for training.
A vertically oriented salt print photograph in sepia tones depicts a man with a dark skin tone sitting on a dappled horse, facing left. The horse stands on a cobbled surface before large, paneled wooden doors. The man wears a dark uniform and a rounded helmet. Weathered stone walls with vertical carvings flank the entrance, while dark foliage hangs from above. High contrast highlights the horse's spotted coat against the shadowed doorway.

Black Horseman in Front of a Doorway

c. 1855

France, 19th century

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