Full-length studio portrait albumen CDV of Mammoth Cave guide, Mat Bransford. Louisville, Kentucky: Algan & Corbutt, n.d. Photographers’ Third and Main St. imprint to mount verso.

Mat Bransford (1815-1885) stands confidently with one leg slightly in front, looking directly at the photographer’s lens. He wears a hat, a long coat, and a bag or canteen across his chest. One hand holds a walking stick, the other holds a basket and the distinctive lanterns used in cave exploration.

Mat Bransford, along with other enslaved men Nick Bransford (owned by the same master as Mat but not biologically related) and Stephen Bishop (ca 1821-1857) were the first tour guides of Mammoth Cave. Mat was born to an enslaved woman and their enslaver Thomas Bransford. Mat and Nick were leased in 1838 to Franklin Gorin, an attorney who owned the Mammoth Cave land and sought to make it a tourist destination. The Bransfords and Bishop would lead curious cavers throughout the extensive underground network for days at a time, illuminated by the distinctive lanterns that Bransford holds in this image. They were deeply involved in mapping the cave system, naming features, and discovering new areas. After Emancipation, Mat Bransford stayed at Mammoth Cave for the remainder of his life, leading tours into his 70s. The Bransford family continued to guide visitors for five generations, including current National Park Ranger Jerry Bransford.

A very rare view of one of the intrepid enslaved guides of the largest cave system in the world.

Condition: small tear/abrasion to mount left edge, not affecting image. Corners bumped. Minor toning.

[African Americana, African American History, Slavery, Abolition, Enslavement, Emancipation, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky] [African Americana, African American History, Black History, Historic Photography, Early Photography, Daguerreotype, Ambrotype, Tintype, Cased Images, Union Cases]