23/6/2000
A Durable Memento
ICP, New York
Portraits by Augustus Washington, African American Daguerreotypist
A Durable Memento is the first major exhibition to address the work of one of only a handful of African American
daguerreotypists whose work has been identified and whose career has been documented. Drawing from diverse sources, such
as the Connecticut Historical Society, the Library of Congress, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and
private collections, the exhibition will feature daguerreotypes from two distinct periods in Augustus Washington's career: his
tenure in Hartford, Connecticut (1847-1853) and the early years of his residency in Liberia. The exhibition will also consider
both Washington's personal history as a free person of color in ante-bellum America and the factors which inspired his
emigration to Liberia in 1853. The exhibition includes 30 daguerreotypes and associative material, including Washington's
personal letters, advertisements for his photography studio, and a painting of the Liberian Senate, based on photographs by
Washington. This exhibition has been organized by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
ICP Uptown
on Museum Mile
1130 Fifth Avenue at 94th Street
New York, N. Y. 10128
212-860-1777
Fax: 212-360-6490
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Friday 10am - 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 6pm
Closed Mondays