Joseph Jenkins Roberts

Lore & Background

Joseph Jenkins Roberts was born free in Norfolk, Virginia, the eldest of seven children. His father was said to be a planter of Welsh origin; his mother Amelia, described as a 'mulatto' who was quite fair, was the planter's slave mistress or concubine and was freed before Joseph was born. Amelia married James Roberts, a free man of color, who gave the children his surname. Joseph Roberts and his siblings were estimated to be of seven-eighths European ancestry. They had an infant child who was born in Liberia after their arrival. Both Sarah and the child died in the second year of living in the colony. After hearing about the American Colonization Society's efforts in creating the colony of Liberia, Roberts decided to join a group of fellow Virginians preparing to leave for Monrovia.

Reader's Guide

He also expanded Liberia's borders along the coast and attempted to assimilate indigenous peoples into Americo-Liberian culture through education and religious conversion. His legacy includes founding schools and Liberia College, and his tenure saw agriculture, shipbuilding, and trade flourish.

Did You Know?

• Roberts was born free in Norfolk, Virginia, and was estimated to be of seven-eighths European ancestry.
• Both his first wife Sarah and their infant child died within the second year of living in the colony.

Roots in New Jersey and the Road to Photography

Augustus Washington was born in Trenton, New Jersey, as the son of a former slave and a woman who was said to be of South Asian descent. His mother died when he was a child. He studied at Oneida Institute in Whitesboro, New York, and the Kimball Union Academy, before entering Dartmouth College in 1843. He learned how to make daguerreotypes during his first year to finance his college education, but had to leave Dartmouth in 1844 due to increasing debts. He moved to Hartford, Connecticut, teaching black students at a local school and opening a Daguerrean studio in 1846.

Capturing a New Nation: Photography in Monrovia

Washington opened a daguerrean studio in the Liberian capital Monrovia in 1853 and also traveled to the neighboring countries Sierra Leone, Gambia and Senegal. His daguerreotypes came at a vital moment for the Liberian nation as they were a visible way to document the progress of the colony not only for the Liberians but also to create an image of the colony for Western audiences. Many of his daguerreotypes were even commissioned by the American Colonization Society to provide images that would be vital for presenting an idealized image of the nation to the men and women in the United States weighing the merits of recolonization in Africa. Washington's Liberian portraits are of meticulously-posed elite members of the Liberian colony and focus on showing off the grooming, clothing, decoration and self-possession of his upper- and middle-class subjects. In addition to photographing members of the Liberian upper and middle classes, Washington also photographed many of Liberia's political leaders. These include likenesses of President Stephen Allen Benson, Vice President Beverly Page Yates, Senate chaplain Reverend Philip Coker, a number of senators, as well as the secretary, clerk, and sergeant-at-arms of the Senate. The items placed in these portraits all held symbolic value for the representation of the Liberian politicians, from the papers found on desks in the foreground to the expensive material of the desks themselves. These were all meant to boost the public's view of the legitimacy of the new Liberian government. While his photography was extremely important to crafting an image of a new African colony, it was just that, an image. Instead of depicting the reality of the colony, Washington's portraits present and highlight an idealized vision of the colony, with highly constructed false representations. As Shawn Michelle Smith points out in the journal article 'Augustus Washington Looks to Liberia', Washington's portraits 'project a nation yet to come', and serve to double the vision of his work.

Disillusionment and a Turn to Politics

After many years of producing such daguerreotypes, Washington began to realize the social hierarchies at play in Liberia and the length of their dependence on the African natives for everything from food to supplies. This disillusionment came as Washington noticed the distinct differences in which the African natives and the colonizers were treated by doctors and politicians. In Washington's view, the colonists were no longer bringing aid and enlightenment to the native Africans but were instead playing into a dangerous cycle of bigoted colonization through alienating the native other. Washington later gave up his photographic work and became a sugarcane grower on the shores of the Saint Paul River. In 1858 he began a political career, serving in both the House of Representatives and the Senate of Liberia. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1865 to 1869. He died in Monrovia in 1875.

Legacy: A Documented Pioneer and the John Brown Image

Augustus Washington is best known for a daguerreotype of John Brown. He is one of the few African American daguerreotypists whose careers have been documented.