Alvan Harper Photographed Florida Elite

Alvan Harper built a thriving portrait studio in the late 1800s when professional photography was still fairly new. Working out of his studio in Tallahassee, Florida, his subjects included local residents, buildings, people at work or leisure and a collection of Florida Supreme Court Justices. Among his most famous surviving photographs is a collection of formal portraits of local Black Americans.

While little is known about these people who looked proudly into the lens of Alvan Harper, we know from their sophisticated, fashionable countenance that they were highly successful members of their communities.

These well-dressed people embody the philosophy of black leaders including Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois who believed that dignified photographs offered alternative images to racist, stereotypical portrayals of Black Americans.

(Note: Not all of the photos in this post were taken by Alvan Harper.)

Portrait of African American Family, Gainesville, Florida, c. 1890s.

Portrait of African American Woman With Umbrella, c. 1890s.

Alvan Harper Collection. Studio Portrait, c. 1890s. Image: University of West Florida Special Collections.

His Studio Thrived Among Tallahassee’s Finest

Alvan Harper (1647-1911) was born in Pennsylvania. He was a photographer in Philadelphia from 1870 to 1884 when he moved to Tallahassee. He operated a portrait studio touting artistic photographs out of the house he rented. He later purchased a house and built his own studio where he worked from 1889 to 1911.

Many of the photographs by Alvan Harper were lost when his studio was torn down in the 1920s. But more than 2,000 glass negatives were discovered in the attic of his house in 1946. These were turned over to the State Library and transferred to the Florida Photographic Collection in 1952.

In 2016 the T.T. Wentworth Museum in Pensacola hosted an exhibit of portraits by Alvan Harper from the late 19^th century.

Presented by the University of West Florida Historic Trust, the exhibit, was called Centennial Faces. According to Wanda Edwards, the Chief Curator for the UWF Historic Trust, it provided a fresh perspective on the lives of African-American citizens in Tallahassee in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

These remarkable photos by Alvan Harper are available here.

Alvan Harper Collection. Studio Portrait, c. 1890s. Image: University of West Florida Special Collections.

Portrait of African American Woman With Umbrella, c. 1890s.

Portrait of African American Fmily, c. 1890s.

Alvan Harper Collection. Studio Portrait, c. 1890s. Image: University of West Florida Special Collections.

Frederick Douglass Would Have Thrived On Social Media

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) sat for many photographs in his lifetime. He is one of the most photographed people in America in the 19^th century, with more than 160 known portraits. He believed that photographs like those taken by Alvan Harper, could be instruments of social change.

According to National Park Services (NPS), Frederick Douglass was one of the most important leaders of the movement for Civil Rights for African Americans and women’s suffrage of the 19^th century.

“After escaping from slavery in Maryland, Douglass became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, during which he gained fame for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings.” (NPS)

Douglass believed that photography could be used to communicate to a wider audience, much like Social Media today. He posed in fashionable clothes that expressed success and power.

Melissa Lindberg of Library of Congress (LOC) writes:

“Douglass provided alternatives to racist, stereotypical portrayals of African Americans. He acknowledged the power not only of photographs, but of images in general, including political cartoons and other printed formats…” (LOC)

By the later commercial photography and printing became more affordable, increasing numbers of stylish Black Americans sat for portraits. Alvan Harper and his clientele from Florida clearly embraced these ideas.

Frederick Douglass c. 1847-52 by Samuel J. Miller.. Image: Library of Congress.

Frederick Douglass. Image: Library of Congress.

Frederick Douglass, c. 1856. Image: Library of Congress.

Frederick Douglass, c. late 1800s by George Kendall Warren. Image: Library of Congress.

Frederick Douglass, U.S. Postage Stamp. Image: Library of Congress.

W.E.B. DuBois Curated Photographs For Paris Exposition of 1900

Like Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois (February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was ahead of his time. He was an early proponent of using visual data as a tool to define and solve social issues. Also like Douglass, he recognized the power of photographs like those of Alvan Harper to reshape public opinion by shattering racist stereotypes.

Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Du Bois was a scholar, author, sociologist and activist, He earned a B.A. at Fisk University and in 1895 was the first Black American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University. He became a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University in 1897. Among his many achievements to combat racism, he co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.

The Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900 was the largest in history at 543 acres with nearly 50 million visitors from around the world. A sociological display within the Palace of Social Economy, the gold-medal Du Bois exhibit included approximately 500 photographs of black Americans at work, leisure, worship, home, and school. It also featured close to 60 leading edge infographics charting African American advancement, along with bound volumes of nearly 400 patents by Black Americans and a bibliography of 1,400 titles. (RacingNellieBly)