- Augustus Washington
Augustus Washington (1820/
1821 -June 7 ,1875 ) was anAfrican American photographer and daguerreotypist, who later in his career emigrated toLiberia . He is one of the few African American daguerreotypists whose career has been documented.Biography
He was born in Trenton,
New Jersey as the son of a former slave and a woman of South Asian descent. He studied at Oneida Institute in Whitesboro,New York and theKimball Union Academy before enteringDartmouth College in 1843. He learned making daguerreotypes during his first year to finance his college education, but had to leave Dartmouth College in 1844 due to increasing debts. He moved to Hartford,Connecticut , teaching black students at local school and opening a daguerrean studio in 1846. [cite web
last = The Connecticut Historical Society
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Augustus Washington: Hartford's Black Daguerreotypist
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.chs.org/graphcoll/augwash.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-03-18]Despite his success he decided to resettle to Liberia as he was worrying about his future as an African American in America society. He moved in 1853 with his wife and his two small children. He opened a daguerrean studio in the capital
Monrovia and also traveled to the neighboring countriesSierra Leone ,Gambia andSenegal . He later gave up his photographic work and became a sugarcane grower and politician, serving in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. He died in Monrovia in 1875. [cite web
last = National Portrait Gallery
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = A Durable Memento
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/awash/awintro.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-03-18]Works
References
External links
* [http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/awash Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery]
* [http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=621 Letter by Augustus Washington to The Tribune]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.