‘White’ emancipated slave children of mixed-race heritage used as part of a fundraising campaign to help struggling African American schools in New Orleans, 1860s.
Abolitionists organized a fundraising campaign to raise money for public education of freed black slaves. They took former slaves from New Orleans and toured the North. They believed the children with lighter complexions would help boost donations to their cause. The premise: tug at the heartstrings of anti-slavery whites in the North with images of slave children who looked like their own. The photos, which featured mixed-race children were sold for 25 cents to one dollar each, depending on size. The proceeds were donated to freedmen schools in Louisiana.
Photos from the Library of Congress