The dehumanizing portrayal of largely undressed enslaved individuals in these “scientific” studies complemented the ongoing cultural and political denigration of Black people in the United States, justifying and naturalizing their subordination and brutalization. Aware of the power of images and the stories they can tell, Sojourner Truth used the power of photography to portray herself using the dress code associated with middle-class white women of the time. It was this image of Truth, intentionally wearing what were considered to be quintessentially feminine garments, that I submitted to
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