+
upworthy
Most Shared

Harriet Tubman helped without hesitation. Here's a unique opportunity to return the favor.

"Young, strong, vibrant, unadorned, and beautiful."

These are just a few of the words Karen Hill used to describe Harriet Tubman in this rare photograph, presumed to be taken shortly after the Civil War in Tubman's adopted hometown of Auburn, New York.

A previously unrecorded photograph of Harriet Tubman. Image via the Swann Gallery.


Tubman rarely sat for photographs, as her life's work required her to hide from bounty hunters and others wishing to do her and the movement harm. As such, very few images of her exist, especially from her younger years. This image of Tubman, likely in her mid- to late-40s, was previously unrecorded ... until now.

The photo is just one part of a lot heading to auction March 30, 2017. Hill, the president and CEO of the Harriet Tubman Home, wants the picture back where it belongs.

The rare photograph was found in a centuries-old carte de visite album belonging to Emily Howland, an educator and abolitionist.

Carte de visites are small images (around 2" x 3.5") mounted on thick paper. Because of their small size, they were often traded among friends and visitors.

Howland's album also includes 44 other photographs that appear to be in good condition, including the only known portrait of John Willis Menard, the first black man elected to the House of Representatives (although his opponent's opposition to the election prevented Menard from being seated).

On the right, Howland's carte de visite album. On the left, an album page featuring John Willis Menard. Images via the Swann Gallery.

Given the truly exceptional images and their condition, the lot is estimated to sell for $25,000 to $30,000.

Private collectors will jump at the chance to own such a rare piece of history, but there's only one place a piece like this belongs: the Harriet Tubman Home.

In 1859, Harriet Tubman purchased a piece of land outside Auburn, New York, a community known for progressive thought and abolition. Tubman and the family members she emancipated made their home there, and the Auburn land became a true safe haven. In early 1903, despite financial trouble, Tubman donated some of her land to the African Methodist Episcopal Church, who used it to found the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged.

The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged. Photo by Lvklock/Wikimedia Commons.

Today, through a nonprofit group, the AME Zion Church keeps Tubman's spirit of determination and ingenuity alive through the management of the Harriet Tubman Home. Visitors can take a guided tour of Tubman's Home for the Aged, see the exterior of her personal home, your the 32-acre homestead, and see up to 60,000 artifacts representing her life and mission. Congress even made the property and land a National Historical Park in 2014.

To preserve Tubman's legacy and ensure the photo is available to the public, the Harriet Tubman Home is raising money to #BringHarrietHome.

The Harriet Tubman Home launched a fundraising campaign to raise a minimum of $25,000 in order to be competitive bidders at the upcoming auction. With 13 days to go as of this writing, the group has raised around $21,000.

"While we can appreciate that the finder’s compensation for discovering and sharing this photo of Harriet Tubman is warranted, we are resolute in our belief that there is no dollar amount that can match the incalculable value that will come from having it properly preserved in our archives at her home in Auburn," read the group's Women You Should Fund page.

Harriet Tubman via the Swann Gallery.

Should the Harriet Tubman Home be outbid, donors can rescind their contribution or donate to the Harriet Tubman Home to fund volunteer training and restoration efforts to the home.

The residence Tubman shared with her husband, Nelson Davis. Davis laid the bricks himself, but they're in desperate need of restoration. Image via Women You Should Know/YouTube.

This is your chance to say thank you.

Harriet Tubman dedicated her life to selfless service — guiding slaves to freedom, working as a spy, cook, and nurse and armed scout for the Union, then donating her land to the church to help the elderly. She did all of this not for praise or acclaim, but because she knew in her heart it was right.

This is right too.

As painful as it is to think of Harriet Tubman on the auction block more than 100 years after her death, we can each do our part to help preserve this piece of her legacy for generations to come. This is a rescue mission. It's time to return the favor.

Watch the powerful video from the Harriet Tubman Home and donate or share to #BringHarrietHome.

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

5-star Scottish resort offers whimsical afternoon tea experience with 'naughty sheep'

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes tea in the garden with adorably rude guests.

Cameron House/Naughty Sheep

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes a unique sheep encounter.

Remember when "goat yoga" was all the rage? And then "cow cuddling" and "turkey cuddling" made everyone's bucket lists?

Now we can add "nuzzling with naughty sheep" to the mix, but with a fancy Scottish twist.

Less than an hour from Glasgow, Scotland, the Cameron House resort sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, looking as if it were plucked straight out of a fairy tale. Sprawling green grounds, gorgeous lake views and a four-story castled mansion greet guests as their "home away from home" (only better), and a perusal of the reviews show guests raving about the 5-star resort's elegance, beauty and exceptional service.

I mean, just look at this place:

drone view of cameron house grounds and lakeCameron House sit on Lake Lochmond in Scotland.Cameron House


Keep ReadingShow less
Innovation

A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going." ⚡️⚡️

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

Keep ReadingShow less
@caitlin.the.realtor/TikTok, used with permission

Wait, so 90's fashion is in, but 90's hair is out?

Every era has its own version of what’s attractive. And very rarely does that aesthetic hold power with the following generation. In fact, it often becomes the opposite of cool.

Just think of Elvis. He might have been a universal sex symbol for a time, but it also wasn’t long before his pompadour became passé. Same goes for Paul Newman’s rugged manliness, David Cassidy’s babyface, Tom Selleck’s mustache. Indeed, for everything a season.

Which brings us to the 90s. The age of beach blonde surfer boys (real surfing skills not required, but a plus). Of flannel, lots of flannel, and super chiseled bodies. Let’s not forget this was the dawning of the term “metrosexual,” and also the time period that brought us that Calvin Klein ad with Mark Wahlburg.

How exactly would these guys measure up with the Gen Z kids today?

Keep ReadingShow less

A Eurasian crow.

A family from Denmark has created a touching video montage documenting their unique friendship with a wild Eurasian crow. This crow, affectionately named Russell, has become an honorary member of their household, forming special bonds with each family member, including the pets.

However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


Learning

Why you shouldn't throw your dishwasher pod into the bottom of your dishwasher

Dishwashers actually use the dirty water to know how to wash your dishes.

Photos by cottonbro studio and PhotoMIX Ltd. via Canva

Why your detergent shouldn't go in the bottom of the dishwasher

There always seem to be something going on with the pods and powders you're supposed to use in the dishwasher to clean your dishes. Either the pods don't dissolve completely or the powder gets all goopy and hard, never really fully dispensing into the dishwasher.

The inconsistency in product dispensing can leave you wondering if the dishes are even getting cleaned, causing some to toss the detergent pod into the bottom of the dishwasher. It would seem that placing the detergent at the bottom would allow for it to actually reach your dirty dishes. But Melissa Pateras, a domestic expert, explains that doing it that way isn't doing what you think it's doing.

Pateras actually breaks down exactly how dishwashers work to clean your dishes while explaining why putting the detergent on the bottom is ineffective.

Keep ReadingShow less