After a six-year legal battle with Harvard University, Tamara Lanier has won ownership of two of the earliest known photographs of enslaved people in the United States.
The images, taken in 1850, depict an enslaved man named Renty Taylor and his daughter Delia Taylor. They were originally commissioned by Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz as part of research rooted in racist pseudoscience that attempted to promote theories of Black inferiority.
For decades, the portraits remained in Harvard’s possession and were widely reproduced in academic settings. But Lanier, who says she is a direct descendant of Renty and Delia, challenged the university’s ownership in court — arguing that the images were taken without consent and belonged to the family.
Now, after years of legal fights and public pressure, Harvard has agreed to relinquish the photographs to Lanier, marking a significant moment in the ongoing conversation about historical accountability, ownership and the legacy of slavery in American institutions.
Source: NPR
