Figure 2

Citation

McPherson and Oliver (New Orleans). “The Scourged Back.” original carte de visit, 1863; slide copy, 1891. Joan Gage Collection. Mirror of Race, 11 Feb. 2021, mirrorofrace.bc.edu/items/show/126. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Title

The Scourged Back

Subject

“The Scourged Back” (Gordon)

Creator

McPherson and Oliver (New Orleans)

Date

original carte de visit, 1863; slide copy, 1891

Type

Studio Portrait

Identifier

Figure 2

Rights Holder

Joan Gage Collection

Original Format

Hand colored glass slide copy of a carte de visit

Factual Commentary

Gordon was the victim of a whip such as the one held by Abraham in the previous slide. When Gordon (the only name we have for him) escaped from a master in Mississippi, he made his way to the Union Army lines in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in April, 1863. The condition of his back was was discovered by an army surgeon when Gordon underwent a medical examination to enter the Union Army, which he did. So shocking was Gordon’s condition that this portrait was made; it became widely distributed in the United States and abroad and was the subject of a story in Harper’s Weekly.