In honor of Women's Equality Day, read five stories from Smithsonian American Women that demonstrate the strength and talents of women across American history. Sojourner Truth (ca. 1797–1883) understood the power of photography. In the image above, her body is taut with strength and her eyes shine with resolve. Standing nearly six feet tall, this pioneer for social justice for women and racial equality shrewdly used the new technology of photography and its relatively inexpensive cabinet cards to support her activism. “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance” was the message written under many of the reproductions that she sold at her public appearances in the mid-1800s. She demonstrated agency over her image at a time when women and Black people were not fully valued or appreciated. Through photography, she secured her place in history when she might have otherwise been overlooked.