Handkerchief owned by Harriet Tubman

Unidentified · 1870s - early 20th century

Harriet Tubman escaped the bonds of slavery as a young woman in the early 1800s. She returned to the South many times as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad to lead other African Americans to freedom. During the Civil War, Tubman served as a spy, nurse, and cook for Union Forces. In 1863, she helped free more than 700 African Americans during a raid in South Carlina - A feat that earned her the nickname "General Tubman." Tubman's collar and handkerchief are decorated with finely worked lace prized by 19th-century Americans.