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Freedom Seeker: Ellen Craft

Two black and white pictures. On the left, a woman wearing a hat and scarf. On the right, the same woman disguised as a man wearing a top hat, glasses, and has arm in a sling.
Image of Ellen Craft with and without disguise.

Ellen Craft escaped from slavery in Macon, Georgia in December 1848. She disguised both her race and sex, pretending to be a white male slave owner traveling with her “servant,” who was really her husband William. She wore men’s clothes, cut her hair, and wore a top hat and glasses. With bandages around her face and arm she walked with a cane as if to be hurt.

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Last updated: September 3, 2020