Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross (ca. 1820–1913), escaped slavery to become a leader in the abolitionist cause. She personally led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom through the “Underground Railroad,” a network of secret routes and supporters that helped them reach the relative safety of the North. Sarah H. Bradford’s first biography of Tubman, based on Tubman’s accounts as relayed to the author, afforded insights into her life and work, introduced her to broader audiences, and provided financial support to Tubman’s family. John Darby’s now-iconic woodcut engraving for the frontispiece of the first edition, shown here, depicts Tubman during her service in the Civil War. Several 20th-century Black artists would later use this image for artworks celebrating Tubman as a model of fortitude during subsequent struggles for civil rights.