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Museum object · Slavery and Freedom Objects

Daguerreotype of Rhoda Phillips

ca. 1850

Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America

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Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A 1/9th plate daguerreotype portrait of Rhoda Phillips (1831-1906), a woman who was born enslaved and owned by the Clark-Gleaves family of Nashville, Tennessee, with whom she remained after emancipation. Phillips is seated in the image and wears a dress with a flower pattern, lace cuffs, and a lace collar. The case is contemporary and has a decorative gold metal frame and a red velvet lining.

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2011.34

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