A rare glimpse of African-American life in the 19th century

A newly digitized photography collection celebrates the beauty and the struggle of everyday life for African-Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

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19th century portraits.
(Image credit: Loewentheil Collection of African-American Photographs, Cornell University Library)

(Image credit: (Right) Caption on the back reads, "Taken in the pines of the Catskill Mountains," late 19th century.)

(Image credit: (Loewentheil Collection of African-American Photographs, Cornell University Library))

(Loewentheil Collection of African-American Photographs, Cornell University Library)**Click here for the complete Loewentheil Collection of African-American Photographs**

Lauren Hansen
Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.