Date: January 1854
Location: Monrovia, Liberia
Category: Women in Liberian History / Presidents & Leaders
Historical Significance:
This photograph is a remarkably early visual record of Jane Roberts, wife of Joseph Jenkins Roberts, Liberia's first president. The Library of Congress identifies her as Jane Roberts and records the portrait as a daguerreotype. The original portrait was made in Monrovia in January 1854 by Liberian photographer Augustus Washington.
Jane Roberts is particularly important to the Gallery because women are often underrepresented in collections of early Liberian historical photographs. Including her portrait helps present Liberia's nineteenth-century history through more than its male political leaders.
The photograph is also significant in the history of photography in Liberia. Augustus Washington, an African American photographer who settled in Liberia, produced portraits of prominent Liberians during this period.