- Photograph by
- Unidentified
- Subject of
- Greenwell, Elisa, American
- Date
- early 1860s
- Medium
- cased photograph (a): collodion and silver on glass photographic plates, with wood, papier-mâché, and metal case;
- note (b): ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (a): 3 11/16 × 3 1/4 × 7/16 in. (9.4 × 8.3 × 1.1 cm)
- H x W (b): 3/4 × 2 13/16 in. (1.9 × 7.1 cm)
- Description
- A black-and-white photograph of Elisa Greenwell (a) accompanied by a handwritten paper note with identifying information (b). In the photograph, Greenwell is seated and faces the camera directly, with her right elbow propped on a table and both hands resting in her lap. Her hair is pinned up at the back of her head. She wears a light-colored dress with a large-scale plaid pattern, white lace collar and stock, and a dark-colored shawl draped over her shoulders. Her cheeks and lips are hand-tinted in a pinkish hue and a spot of gilt is placed over a pin worn at her center front neck. The ambrotype is housed in one half of a wooden case with a papier-mâché cover in a floral design and painted black. The glass plate is surrounded by a gold metal frame with an oval-shaped cut out. A metal hook for fastening the case to the missing lid is present on the right side of the case.
- The accompanying loose paper note (b) has handwritten text in black ink reading: "Elisa Greenwell resident of Philadelphia / runaway from the residence of / William Edelen of Leondardtown Md / in 1859". The reverse is blank.
- Place depicted
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
- Leonardtown, St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Photographs and Still Images
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2015.97.4ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




