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Bringing Frederick Douglass Into the Digital Age

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Frederick Douglass is a figure that has taken on an almost mythical stature in the historical record, in part due to his accomplishments as an orator, author, publisher, and abolitionist but also due to his careful crafting of his image. He is thought of as perhaps the most photographed person of his generation, a bit of public relations that was no accident. He understood the power of images as well as anyone alive during the early days of photography.

So, how do you honor such a man on his 200th birthday? Perhaps with a 21st-century method of imaging: 3-D scanning.

For many years, Douglass called Rochester, New York, home, and he is buried here, in Mount Hope Cemetery. With this connection and the University of Rochester’s wealth of material related to Douglass, it made sense for the University to pay special tribute.

Jessica Lacher-Feldman from the River Campus Libraries department of Rare Books, Special Collections and Preservation approached associate professor of English and textual science Gregory Heyworth to develop a 3-D scan of a historic marble bust of the famed abolitionist. Heyworth, along with students in his digital imaging class, worked with visual technologist James Barbero, using a structured light scanner, capturing views from various angles to create a 3-D rendering.

From that rendering, it would be possible to create a 3-D printed replica of the bust and even change the scale. As part of a larger collection of artifacts from the collection held at the University, the plan is to place the rendering online along with a host of other digitized documents and images. This resource will be made available publicly for other researchers and scholars to access from around the world.
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Academic
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