Dignity, Beauty and Everything In Between by Duquann Sweeney, 2026
*pre-order, shipping in July 2026

“Photography has been a particularly important tool​ in our quest to show the world who we truly are. Frederick​ Douglass, the most prominent abolitionist and racial justice​ advocate of the nineteenth century, was also one of the first​ photo-theorists. He understood that because photography​ was relatively inexpensive it had revolutionized portraiture.​ For the first time, everyday people could obtain portraits that​ showed them as they saw themselves and as they wished to​ be seen by others. In an 1861 speech, Douglass celebrated​ the democratic potential of photographic portraits:​ What was once the exclusive luxury of the rich and​ great is now within reach of all. The humblest servant girl​ whose income is but a few shillings per week may now possess​ a more perfect likeness of herself than noble ladies and​ court royalty…”

Duquann Sweeney is a self-taught photographer born and raised in Jersey City, NJ. Sweeney is also the founder of The Royal Men Foundation, a non-profit organization that was founded in 2012. As a photographer, Duquann is a part of a long list of Black photographers that carry a tradition of photographing Black communities showing the dignity and beauty within them. In 2021, Duquann had his first solo exhibition at Hoboken Historical Museum/Upper Gallery.

Text by John Edwin Mason
Design Direction by Luminosity Lab

7 × 8.5” vertical
softcover, offset
52 pages, 34 plates
Printed in Italy
First edition, Limited to 350 copies