[Unidentified Woman]

Your Mirror: Portraits from the ICP Collection
Section: Self-presentation
Benjamin W. Fowler operated a studio in Philadelphia at the same location for over forty years. In this image, the woman’s formal dress and the open book she holds suggest that she was active in the city’s literary elite. Philadelphia had long been an influential city in its
contributions to African American culture; in the nineteenth century, it had the largest population of blacks in the North and was a center for abolitionist activities.
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Benjamin W. Fowler operated a studio in Philadelphia at the same location for over forty years. In this image, the woman's formal dress and the open book she holds suggest that she was active in the city's literary elite. Philadelphia had long been an influential city in its contributions to African American culture; in the nineteenth century, it had the largest population of blacks in the North and was a center for abolitionist activities. African Americans started numerous newspapers, periodicals, and literary clubs during this period, and continued to do so in the twentieth century. The cultural elite was made up of professionals who typically supported conservative and respectable literary works reflecting family values and economic stability.