Harriet Tubman dress

This dress was created by contemporary artist June Gaddy to symbolize Harriet Tubman and her work to help free slaves in the South before the Civil War. The bottom of the dress has pictures of Tubman and other African-Americans, and the shells sewn on to the dress represent the 300 slaves who were led to freedom on the Underground Railroad, with Tubman as their conductor. The feathers on the sleeve represent the flight from oppression, and embroidered on the bodice is the Adinkra symbol Gyawu Atiko, which stands for bravery and fearlessness.

To see a detailed view of the back of this dress, see Document 107.

For more about Harriet Tubman, see Documents 16 and 85.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citation - Document 106
1997
Courtesy of June Gaddy
www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/civilwar