In 1897, Queen Victoria of England, sovereign of the largest empire in the world, presented this silk, lace, and linen shawl to formerly enslaved Harriet Tubman. Victoria’s immense display of respect and admiration underscored Tubman’s amazing life, her pursuit of equality, and the personal bravery she possessed in her quest to lead hundreds of enslaved African Americans out of the south to freedom. 

During the 1850s and 1860s, Tubman assisted more than 300 enslaved individuals in escaping to the North. She also provided invaluable service to Northern armies during the Civil War as scout, nurse and spy.  In one bold campaign along the South Carolina coast, she assisted Northern troops in helping free nearly 800 enslaved African Americans. Tubman’s incomparable deeds have earned her the respect of a nation and a coveted place on future printings of American currency.

Born into slavery in about 1820, Araminta Ross would later change her name to Harriet, becoming one of America’s most courageous antislavery activists. “Minty,” as her family called her, grew up in southern Maryland working on various plantations as both a field hand and a domestic servant. In 1844, “Minty” married John Tubman, a freedman, and changed her name to Harriet.

After the war, Tubman resided in Auburn, New York, where she actively supported the early civil rights and women’s suffrage movements.  She had purchased property there in 1857 from U.S. Senator William H. Seward and constructed both her residence and a home for the elderly.

Tubman died in 1913 at the age of 93, forever remembered for her selfless acts of bravery to free hundreds of enslaved African Americans.

The shawl above is now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visitors to the museum can view this object in the “Slavery and Freedom” exhibition.

Credits and Sources:

2009.50.39 - Silk lace and linen shawl given to Harriet Tubman by Queen Victoria, ca. 1897. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Blockson.

2009.50.2 - Albumen print of Harriet Tubman, ca. 1908; printed ca. 1920. Created by: Tarby Studios. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Blockson.

2009.50.13 - Postcard of Harriet Tubman, Nelson Davis, and daughter Gertie, ca. 1887; printed 1992. Photograph by: William Haight Cheney. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Blockson.

Bradford, Sarah H. Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman. Auburn, NY: W.J. Moses, Printer, 1869.

"Harriet Tubman." PBS. Accessed January 9, 2016. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html. 

National Park Service. "Harriet Tubman." Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument. Accessed January 9, 2016. http://www.nps.gov/resources/person.htm?id=175