Caesar (slave)
Caesar | |
|---|---|
 An 1851 daguerreotype | |
| Born | 1737 (supposedly) |
| Died | 1852 (aged 114–115) New York, U.S. |
| Known for | Being a candidate for being both the oldest born person ever photographed while alive and also being the last enslaved person to be manumitted in New York. |
Caesar (born supposedly in 1737) was an enslaved person who is a candidate for being both the earliest-born person ever photographed while alive, and also the earliest-born enslaved person ever photographed, when he was photographed in 1851. He was also the last slave to be manumitted in New York.
Biography[]
Caesar was supposedly born in 1737.[1] He was born on the property of Rensselaer Nicoll, who owned the Bethlehem House property in Bethlehem, New York. Within his lifetime, Caesar had outlived at least three or four generations of masters on the Nicoll estate in Bethlehem. He was allowed to retire in 1817, at the age of 80, and lived with the Nicoll family until his death.[1]
Although most slaves in New York were freed by July 4, 1827, he was not officially freed until around 1841, when all forms of slavery were banned in New York.
In 1849, the artist G. W. Woodward had a sketch of Caesar drawn as he sat dozing in a chair, which has since been lost. In 1851, his final master's son persuaded Caesar to sit for a daguerreotype. The daguerreotype later became known as Daguerreotype of Caesar: A slave. Caesar died in 1852 aged 115, according to the inscription on his marble tombstone, in the state of New York.[2] Only his year of death is certain; not his year of birth.
References[]
- ^ a b "Science Source - Caesar, Last Slave in New York". www.sciencesource.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
- ^ Beck, B. "First photo". Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- 1737 births
- 1852 deaths
- 18th-century American slaves
- 19th-century American slaves
- Bethlehem, New York
- History of photography
- Longevity claims