Sisters in Sepia

Civil War era portrait of two unknown black women. Photographed by H. Terry on Main Street, Sag Harbor, Long Island. Cornell University Digital Archives

This portrait comes from The Loewentheil Collection of African American Photographs a collection of photographs that date from the 1860s to the 1960s, an era when African Americans were emerging from the horrors of slavery and beginning to claim some of the freedoms white Americans have.

Stephan and Beth Loewentheil, who donated the archive, are collectors of rare books and photography. They own two branches of the 19th Century Rare Book and Photograph Shop – one in Baltimore and one in New York.