STPTHE UNIDENTIFIED AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN pictured opposite around 1865, wearing an American flag pinned to her dress, did not enjoy in full the freedoms represented by that flag. Even after the adoption in 1868 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which recognized all those born in the United States as American citizens, she would have been disenfranchised because of her gender, and her rights would have been restricted in many other ways because of her race. Despite her experiences, present or future, her squared shoulders, straight back, and direct gaze into the camera suggest she was proud to be part of a nation that rededicated itself to liberty by opposing slavery.
This woman is believed to have served as a washerwoman for Union troops who occupied Richmond, Virginia, in April 1865. Many washerwomen working for the Union Army had emerged from slavery and prized their jobs, even though the work was arduous. Using long sticks, they swirled soldiers’ clothing in heavy iron pots full of water, often boiling hot, and supplied their own implements, hauling them from place to place. Military regulations issued in 1861 required washerwomen to carry certificates signed by commanding officers indicating that they were of good character. They were paid up to forty dollars a month directly by the soldiers they worked for. The service they provided was valued because it gave men a sense of dignity. Soldiers were often wet and dirty, wearing sweaty, soiled, and bloodstained clothing. A clean uniform represented civility and order and reminded men of home.
This woman’s skills would have been in demand after the war ended, and she could have imagined a rewarding life ahead of her. Whatever the details of her story, this photograph serves as an enduring image of the powerful promise of freedom. STP
PRIZED PORTRAIT The woman who posed for this photograph—a handsomely framed and encased ambrotype, featuring a hand-tinted American flag—evidently took pride in having her portrait made, as she did in the U.S. emblem she wore.
