VISUAL ACTIVITYHarry Stephens and Family, 1866 The seven members of the Stephens family sit proudly for a photograph just after the Civil War ended. Many black families were not as fortunate as these Virginians. Separated by slavery or war, former slaves desperately sought news of missing family members through newspaper advertisements.READING THE IMAGE: How does the Stephens family signal that they are free people, not slaves?CONNECTIONS: How would white Southerners likely respond to the message delivered by this photograph?
G. Gable, Summer Scene, 1866. Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005 (2005.100.277). Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.