Frederick Douglass is one of the most important figures in American history. His abolitionism and activism are globally celebrated. In the video installation Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour, the artist Sir Isaac Julien sets out to showcase a different side of the great man. “Douglass is such a multifaceted and polyvalent figure,” Julien has said, “[but] the main thing I was interested in is his writing about photography.” Douglass was one of the most photographed people of his time. He understood that his portrait could undercut racism and advance Black civil rights, so he ensured that it was widely distributed. Julien’s installation focuses on those portraits, placing them among excerpts from Douglass’s speeches, books, and personal correspondence. Across 10 screens and with unique objects, Julien portrays Douglass advancing freedom. —Alice Browne