Figure008

Citation

Unknown Photographer. “Manuel and Pedro Ybana Dudagertia.” circa 1860. Gregory Fried Collection. Mirror of Race, 11 Feb. 2021, mirrorofrace.bc.edu/items/show/241. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

Title

Manuel and Pedro Ybana Dudagertia

Subject

Manuel and Pedro Ybana Dudagertia

Creator

Unknown Photographer

Date

circa 1860

Type

studio portrait

Identifier

Figure008

Rights Holder

Gregory Fried Collection

Original Format

ambrotype

Physical Dimensions

Sixth Plate (2.75 x 3.25 inches)

Factual Commentary

A period slip of paper inserted into the image case (see below) identifies the sitters as “Manuel Ybana Dudagertia, Pedro Ybana D. (bald)”; the English notation “bald” indicates a United States maker and context for the photograph, as do the style of case and the mat, although these materials were imported for the use of photographers in Mexico and other Central and Latin American countries.

Interpretive Commentary

Latinos, or Hispanics, have been part of the Americas for longer than the northern European colonizers, who began arriving in significant numbers and lasting settlement in North America only in the 1600s.

When looking at a photograph such as this one, it is worth remembering that Latinos were living in the lands that became the United States for generations, even centuries, before those lands became states of the Union.

We do not know, but it may well be the case that the brothers Manuel and Pedro were just such Latino citizens of the United States.

Alternative Title

Collection

Mirror of Race