Photograph by
Ulke, Henry, German American, 1821 - 1910
Subject of
Welles, Mary Jane Hale, American, 1817 - 1886
Keckly, Elizabeth, American, 1818 - 1907
Date
1866
Medium
albumen and silver on photographic paper on cardboard
Dimensions
H x W (Image): 5 1/2 × 3 7/8 in. (14 × 9.9 cm)
H x W (Sheet): 6 7/16 × 4 3/16 in. (16.4 × 10.6 cm)
Caption
This portrait depicts Mary Jane Hale Welles, wife of Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, in a funeral dress. The dress is said to have been sewn and designed by Elizabeth Keckley for the funeral of her son Hubert Gideon Welles in 1862, and again worn by Welles at the funeral of President Lincoln in 1865.
Description
A cabinet card portrait of Mary Jane Hale Welles wearing a funeral dress designed by Elizabeth Keckly (sometimes spelled Keckley). The albumen print is on a Henry Ulke card mount with a narrow black border. This full length portrait shows Mary Jane Hale Welles standing in a three quarters turn away from the camera. Wearing a dark colored full-length dress with a train and a dark colored lace shawl, she gazes directly at the viewer. Her right hand rests on a small side table next to her with two books stacked on it. The print is on a card mount with text on the reverse that reads "Henry Ulke, / 278 Pennsylvania Avenue. / Washington, D.C. / 1866."
Place used
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Type
cabinet photographs
albumen prints
portraits
Topic
Clothing and dress
Craftsmanship
Free communities of color
Funeral customs and rites
Motherhood
Photography
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2018.35.2.2
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55b84c9f7-4efb-4f31-92dd-330f49d1be8b

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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