Cabinet Card Photograph of William Henry Sheppard
A scarce cabinet card photograph of William Henry Sheppard (1865-1927), "one of the earliest known Afro-American collectors of African art" (Harold Cureau).
Very good.
Price: $2,500.00
Cabinet Card Photograph of William Henry Sheppard
An important figure, Sheppard developed his interest in art during his extensive time spent in the Congo as one of the earliest Black American missionaries to Africa where he was part of the formation of the Congo Reform Association (CRA), one of the world's earliest humanitarian organizations, which helped to bring global attention to atrocities committed against the Kuba people by Belgian colonials. In 1893 he was named a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society in London (thus the "F.R.G.S." honorific on the card), a remarkable distinction for the then 28-year old son of a Southern Black family. This photograph, which bears the stamp of an [A.S.] Proctor, photographer of Birmingham, Alabama, was likely executed shortly after, around 1894 during one of his two Stateside furloughs from his approximately 20 years (circa 1890-1910) of missionary work in the Congo. According to scholar Harold Cureau, "Sheppard achieved national and international repute because of other accomplishments during the 1900s, at that time only peripheral references were made about his extensive collection of Kuba art and artifacts. Throughout the decade, 1900-1910, Sheppard's collection was, then, impressive in terms of size and quality but was rarely mentioned publicly." Sheppard's alma maters, Stillman and Hampton Colleges (which received the bulk of his art collection), both hold materials from his life and work; this photograph may be among the uncatalogued holdings at either or both, though otherwise surviving examples appear scarce. We note another card-mounted photograph of similar era, showing Sheppard surrounded by examples of Kuba artwork in his collection, realized $3250 at a 2022 Swann sale, more than double its high estimate. An important document of this prescient African American collector.
Read more: Cureau, "William H. Sheppard: Missionary to the Congo, and Collector of African Art," Journal of Negro History, Winter 1982, 340–352.
The Object
Birmingham, Alabama: [A.S.] Proctor, [circa 1894]. 5.5'' x 4'' (image); 8.5'' x 5.25 (mount). Single albumen photograph, mounted to plain card with "Your humble servant, / Wm. H. Sheppard, F.R.G.S." pre-printed below (i.e. not holograph). Faint ink photographer's stamp to verso reads: "PROCTOR / 2007 Second Ave. / Birmingham, Ala." Ownership name of an H.B. Britt of Louisville, Kentucky to upper margin of verso. Albumen print moderately faded. Some foxing and margin stains to card surface. Overall intact and sound.
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