Harvard University has announced that it will transfer a significant collection of historical photographs believed to be among the earliest to depict enslaved individuals in the United States to the International African American Museum in South Carolina. This decision brings an end to a lengthy legal dispute with Tamara Lanier, a Connecticut author who claims descent from two individuals featured in the images.
The photographs, taken in 1850, are daguerreotypes—primitive forms of photography—and will be relocated to the museum where the subjects were enslaved. Harvard emphasized its long-standing intentions to place the images within another museum's context. Lanier expressed immense joy following the settlement, which she believes honors the legacy of those captured in the images.
Rediscovered in 1976 at Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, the 15 images depict individuals named Alfred, Delia, Drana, Fassena, Jack, Jem, and Renty. According to Lanier, the settlement stipulates the transfer of all images, not just those bearing the names Renty and Delia. The daguerreotypes were commissioned by Louis Agassiz, a Harvard professor who sought to support racial superiority theories—a stance that has since been thoroughly discredited.
The legal battle formed part of a broader discourse about how American universities address their historical connections to slavery. Harvard recently modified its law school's shield, which was based on an 18th-century slaveholder's crest. Although Harvard did not elaborate on the settlement's particulars, a spokesperson communicated the university's eagerness to ensure the daguerreotypes are made accessible within the appropriate context.
In 2019, Lanier filed a lawsuit against Harvard, asserting that the images were captured without consent and accused the institution of profiting from licensing fees. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court dismissed her ownership claims in 2022 but allowed her to seek damages for emotional distress, emphasizing Harvard's complicity in the events leading to the creation of the images.
Lanier shared her delight with the BBC, indicating that the images' return would represent a ceremonial homecoming for the enslaved individuals they portray. The South Carolina museum assisted Lanier with genealogy connections but was not part of the legal proceedings. Its president stated that the museum aims to showcase the daguerreotypes in a manner that fosters genuine understanding and empathy regarding the context of slavery.
"These are not gentle images and the story behind their creation is difficult to confront," noted Tonya Matthews, the president of the musuem. "Our mission includes creating a space for vital conversations about the enduring effects of slavery on society today."
