This interesting Cabinet Card is a photograph of an African American man posing for his portrait at the studio of W. A. Apcar in Somerville, New Jersey. This gentleman looks quite dapper and intellectual. He appears professorial but his biographical information is lost in history.
AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN IN SOMERVILLE, NEW JERSEY
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THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
He doesn’t look black
Determining race or ethnic background of a person in a cabinet card photograph is very subjective without adequate background or biographical information. A national expert on historical African American photography believed that the subject of this photograph is a black man and I am in agreement with her opinion. However, we may be wrong as there is no confirming evidence. As a side note, i want to state that the subjectiveness of these historic photographs are part of the pleasure of viewing them. I think most of us make interpretations about the person and the scene that is pictured in the cabinet card photograph. We create a story as we look through these windows of history.