Ms. Rose Davis, St. Gabriel, Louisiana 28 - 1999

Deborah Luster created this tintype photograph of Ms. Rose Davis in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. Tintypes like this one, are made by creating a direct positive on a thin sheet of metal. The choice of tintype links the subject to a longer history of portraiture, specifically the kinds of portraits that would have been common among working and middle-class Americans from the mid-19th century onward. Its revival here connects Ms. Davis to a longer history of representation and self-representation. The history of Louisiana is deeply marked by the history of slavery and racial discrimination in the United States. St. Gabriel is the location of The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, which is built on what was once a major plantation. Photographic portraiture is a powerful tool, because it has the capacity to assert dignity and humanity for those who have been historically denied it. As art historians, we can look at census records, historical societies, archives, and libraries to better understand this artwork in its social and institutional context.