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H.P. Cheatham, the Only Colored Member of the New House of Representatives

H.P. Cheatham, the Only Colored Member of the New House of Representatives/tiles/collection/3/37510.xml
H.P. Cheatham, the Only Colored Member of the New House of Representatives/tiles/collection/3/37511.xml
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Date

1889-03-02

Publisher

Harper & Brothers

Dimensions

16 3/16 × 10 3/4 in. (41.1 × 27.3 cm)

Accession Number

2021.048.003

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

Henry Cheatham of North Carolina, the sole Black Representative in Congress when he arrived in 1889, warranted an engraving introducing him to the readers of Harper’s Weekly. The admiring article that accompanied this image predicted that “he will be pretty sure to be heard from when the new Congress assembles.” By the time Cheatham was elected, Harper’s had become an advocate for Black civil rights, thanks in part to the editorial voice of George William Curtis, who pushed reforms in its pages during the latter part of the 19th century.

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Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov