Some readers questioned the authenticity of the newly found image of Harriet Tubman scheduled for auction by Swann Galleries on March 30, and displayed in last week’s Our Time Press.

Our friend Elizabeth Rankin-Fulcher checked with Kate Clifford Larson, author of the 2004 bestseller BOUND for the PROMISED LAND – HARRIET TUBMAN: Portrait of An American Hero , who immediately responded by email:

She looks so dignified, proud, and confident. She is so young, so beautiful! Love her clothing!

No one has seen this image before. The photo would have been taken between 1865 and 1868. Tubman would have been 43-46 years old.

The photo album in which it is contained was owned by Quaker abolitionist and close Tubman friend Emily Howland.

So, the provenance is impeccable! I hope the Smithsonian gets it!

Thank you for letting me know! You are eyes and ears on the ground!!

Kate Larson also serves as a special consultant to the National Park Service on Harriet Tubman, reports Rankin-Fulcher.  (Bernice Green/Legacy)