Object Details
- Artist
- John Sartain, 24 Oct 1808 - 25 Oct 1897
- Sitter
- William Still, 7 Oct 1821 - 14 Jul 1902
- Exhibition Label
- Born Burlington County, New Jersey
- Historian and activist William Still exemplified the self-determination and resourcefulness of nineteenth-century Black leaders. Born to enslaved parents, Still later settled in Philadelphia, where he spent the rest of his life. His lifelong commitment to justice included being a prominent conductor for the Underground Railroad, leading fundraising efforts to aid the emancipation of enslaved people, and campaigning against segregation in Philadelphia. In 1872, Still published The Underground Rail Road, a book containing first-person narratives of anti-slavery activists and courageous freedom seekers. Later displayed at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, it remains an indispensable source on slavery today.
- Nacido en Burlington County, Nueva Jersey
- El historiador y activista William Still ejemplifica la determinación y el ingenio de los líderes negros del siglo XIX. Nació de padres esclavizados y más tarde se radicó en Filadelfia por el resto de su vida. Defensor constante de la justicia, fue un prominente “conductor” del "ferrocarril subterráneo", dirigió recaudaciones de fondos para emancipar a personas esclavizadas e hizo campaña contra la segregación en Filadelfia. En 1872 publicó El ferrocarril subterráneo, con relatos personales de los activistas así como de los que buscaron la libertad con valentía. El libro se exhibió en la Exposición del Centenario, efectuada en Filadelfia en 1876, y sigue siendo referencia indispensable sobre el tema de la esclavitud.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1872
- Object number
- NPG.2018.89.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Medium
- Engraving on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 15.1 × 9.1 cm (5 15/16 × 3 9/16")
- Book closed: 24.4 × 17.5 × 5.8 cm (9 5/8 × 6 7/8")
- Book open: 24.4 × 31.6 cm (9 5/8 × 12 7/16")
- Place
- United States\Pennsylvania\Philadelphia
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Associated Title
- Frontispiece to "The Underground Railroad"
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Book
- Costume\Dress Accessory
- Book\Frontispiece
- William Still: Male
- William Still: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
- William Still: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Historian
- William Still: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Social reformer\Civil rights activist\Abolitionist
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2018.89.1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4bb1a79cd-cfb5-4604-b3f2-8cb439175872
