Anna Elizabeth Dickinson
This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
Object Details
- Date
- c. 1863
- Artist
- Mathew B. Brady, 1823? - 15 Jan 1896
- Sitter
- Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, 28 Oct 1842 - 22 Oct 1932
- Exhibition Label
- One of the most romantic figures of the nineteenth century, the “girl orator” of the Civil War era lyceum (or lecture) circuit, Anna Elizabeth Dickinson enchanted the antebellum United States with her passion for justice. When she was just eighteen years old, Dickinson addressed the Pennsylvania Antislavery Society with a speech entitled “The Rights and Wrongs of Women.” It launched a wildly successful career on the lecture circuit. In 1864, she became the first woman to address the House of Representatives.
- At the height of her popularity in 1872, Dickinson earned $23,000 annually—about $477,000 in 2018—which was more than the income of male contemporaries like Mark Twain. Her lecture, “What Shall We Do with Our Daughters?” analyzed societal standards for young girls, specifically their education and required dress. Likened to a modern-day Joan of Arc, Dickinson’s spellbinding lectures moved many women and men to further women’s rights.
- Una de las figuras más románticas del siglo XIX fue la “niña oradora” Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, quien deleitó al país con su pasión por la justicia en los umbrales de la Guerra Civil. A los 18 años pronunció un discurso ante la Sociedad Antiesclavista de Pensilvania titulado “Los derechos y agravios de la mujer”, el cual propulsó su exitosísima carrera en el circuito de conferencias. En 1864 se convirtió en la primera mujer que habló ante la Cámara de Representantes.
- En la cumbre de su popularidad, hacia 1872, Dickinson ganaba $23,000 al año (unos $477,000 en 2018), superando los ingresos de sus contemporáneos varones como Mark Twain. En su conferencia “¿Qué haremos con nuestras hijas?” analizó las normas sociales aplicadas a las niñas y jovencitas, sobre todo su educación y vestimenta. Comparada con una moderna Juana de Arco, Dickinson inspiró con sus charlas a muchos hombres y mujeres en la lucha por los derechos femeninos.
- Topic
- Interior
- Photographic format\Carte-de-visite
- Anna Elizabeth Dickinson: Female
- Anna Elizabeth Dickinson: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Social reformer\Civil rights activist\Abolitionist
- Anna Elizabeth Dickinson: Literature\Writer\Playwright
- Anna Elizabeth Dickinson: Education and Scholarship\Orator
- Portrait
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Laurie A. Baty
- Data Source
- National Portrait Gallery
- Object number
- NPG.87.290
- Type
- Photograph
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Medium
- Albumen silver print
- Dimensions
- Image/Sheet: 8.6 × 5.5 cm (3 3/8 × 2 3/16")
- Mount: 10 × 6.1 cm (3 15/16 × 2 3/8")
- Mat: 35.6 × 27.9 cm (14 × 11")
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.87.290