Black Horseman in Front of a Doorway

c. 1855

France, 19th century

Medium

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

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

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

Description

The genre of equestrian portraiture dates back to classical Greek and Roman antiquity, when it was used to depict rulers and suggest power and status. 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. This photograph may be one of the earliest photographic representations of a Black highranking military officer.