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A rare photo of Harriet Tubman, acquired by the Library of Congress, shows her as a younger woman

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A photograph of a young Harriet Tubman, the abolitionist hero of the Underground Railroad, has been acquired by the Library of Congress and the recently opened National Museum of African American History and Culture, NBC Washington reports.

Taken sometime in the mid-19th century, the photo is contained in an album with 43 other pictures, including portraits of abolitionist Charles Sumner and author Charles Dickens.

The album had belonged to Emily Howland, a Quaker abolitionist and teacher also known for her work in the suffrage movement. The album was purchased by a collector for $250 years ago.

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The purchase was announced in a news release from the Library of Congress and the African American History and Culture museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

“To have a new glimpse of such key figures in American history is rare indeed,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “Through this extraordinary collaboration, these images will be forever part of our shared heritage and will be a source of inspiration for many generations to come.”

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Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, and later escaped to Philadelphia, where she began helping other slaves escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad network of safe houses.

During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a spy for the Union, and helped lead the Combahee Ferry Raid in South Carolina, which resulted in the liberation of more than 700 slaves.

The photograph of Tubman was sold at an auction for $161,000, more than $100,000 more than the auction house Swann Galleries expected, reports the (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times.

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The library and the museum will own the photo album jointly, reports the Washington Post.

Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, said it was a “distinct honor” to acquire the photo album.

“We are pleased and humbled to work with the Library of Congress to ensure that this rare and significant collection will be preserved and made accessible to the American public,” Bunch said.

Tubman’s image will soon be familiar to Americans when she’ll be featured on the front of the $20 bill in the coming years. Andrew Jackson, who currently holds that honor, will be moved to the back.

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