Latest news with #InternationalAfricanAmericanMuseum
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Harvard agrees to transfer photos of enslaved people to black history museum
Harvard University has agreed to hand over a set of historic photos believed to be among the earliest depicting enslaved people in the United States. The agreement ends a long legal battle between the institution and Tamara Lanier, an author from Connecticut who argues she is a descendant of two people shown in the photos. The images, taken in 1850, will be transferred to the International African American Museum in South Carolina, where the people shown in the photos were enslaved. Harvard said it had always hoped the photos would be given to another museum. Ms Lanier said she was "ecstatic" with the result. The images are daguerreotypes, a very early form of modern-day photographs and were taken 15 years before the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution abolished slavery. The photos were rediscovered in storage at Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in 1976. The 15 images feature people identified by the Peabody Museum as Alfred, Delia, Drana, Fassena, Jack, Jem, and Renty. According to Ms Lanier, the settlement would mean the transfer of all the images not just the ones about Renty and Delia. The photos were commissioned by Harvard professor and zoologist Louis Agassizm as part of discredited research to prove the superiority of white people. He espoused polygenism, a now debunked belief that human races evolved separately. The case formed part of public debate around how America's universities should respond to their historic links to slavery. In 2016, Harvard Law School agreed to change a shield that was based on the crest of an 18th Century slaveholder. Harvard did not comment on the details of the settlement but a university spokesperson said it "has long been eager to place the Zealy Daguerreotypes with another museum or other public institution to put them in the appropriate context and increase access to them for all Americans." The spokesperson added that Ms Lanier's "claim to ownership of the daguerreotypes created a complex situation, especially because Harvard has not been able to confirm that Ms Lanier is related to the individuals in the daguerreotypes." Ms Lanier sued Harvard in 2019, arguing the images were taken without consent and accusing the university of profiting from them through large licensing fees. In 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld an earlier ruling that dismissed Ms Lanier's claim to ownership. She was, however, allowed to claim damages for emotional distress. It ruled Harvard had "complicity" in the "horrific actions" surrounding the creation of the images. "Harvard's present obligations cannot be divorced from its past abuses," it added. Ms Lanier told the BBC, she was "ecstatic" about the settlement. "I have always known first of all that I could never care for the daguerreotypes at the level they would require," she said. "There are so many ties that bind Renty and Delia and the other enslaved people to that particular part of South Carolina that to repatriate them there would be like a homecoming ceremony." The South Carolina museum helped Ms Lanier with her genealogy claims but was not involved in the legal battle. Its president said they intend to hold and display the images "in context with truth and empathy." "These are not gentle images and the story behind how they came to be is even more difficult to hear," Tonya Matthews told the BBC. "So to be in a space that has already created room for conversations about the inhumanity of slavery and enslavement and how far those implications echo even to today is what we do and it's our mission." Harvard sued over 'slave ancestor' photos The awkward questions about slavery from US tourists The hidden links between slavery and Wall Street
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Harvard settles lawsuit over enslaved ancestor images
Harvard University has agreed to settle a deeply emotional dispute over who has the rights to images of enslaved Africans taken in 1850 by a professor who sought to support a racist theory. The daguerrotypes, a precursor to modern photographs, are considered to be the earliest known images of Black American slaves, who were posed nude and semi-nude "without consent, dignity or compensation," a 2019 lawsuit stated. The Cambridge institution has agreed to relinquish the images and has offered plaintiff Tamara Lanier a confidential monetary settlement. Lanier says she is a descendant of a slave known only by his first name, Renty, who was photographed nude, and his daughter Delia, who was photographed nude from the waist up, in images commissioned by Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz as supposed evidence of Black inferiority. The images were taken in South Carolina, and Lanier is advocating for them to be transferred to the International African American Museum there. Lanier accused the university of using them for advertising and commercial purposes, and denounced the use of Renty's image on a cover of a $40 anthropology book it published in 2017. "Since Black Americans were first brought to this country in chains, our pain and trauma have been exploited for capitalistic gain," said Lanier. Lanier claimed rights to the images 15 years ago, but Harvard has long-disputed the claim that she is Renty's great-great-great-granddaughter. "As descendants of slaves, familial history and well-documented genealogy are a luxury that many Black Americans do not have," Lanier said, who relied on her family's oral history to determine the connection in lineage. In a statement on the settlement, Harvard said they have "long been eager" to steward "the daguerrotypes in a responsible manner." In his time Agassiz, a Swiss-born biologist, was a renowned scientist who worked in geology. But Lanier's attorney Ben Crump said Agassiz also supported polygenism, which was "used to justify both the ongoing enslavement of Black people prior to the Civil War and their segregation afterward." The daguerrotypes were in the possession of Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology to date. "Harvard played a role in the darkest chapter in American history," Lanier said. "This is a small step in the right direction towards fully acknowledging that history and working to rectify it." The stain of Agassiz's work has been controversial elsewhere, too. He had an elementary school named after him near Harvard -- but local residents successfully demanded the name be changed to honor a long-serving Black principal Maria Louise Baldwin in 2002, citing his scientific racism. arb/gl/sla/jgc
AsiaOne
3 days ago
- General
- AsiaOne
Harvard to relinquish slave photos to resolve descendant's lawsuit, World News
BOSTON — Harvard University has agreed to give up ownership of photos of an enslaved father and his daughter who were forced to be photographed in 1850 for a racist study by a professor trying to prove the inferiority of Black people to resolve a lawsuit by one of their descendants. The settlement was announced on Wednesday (May 28) by the legal team representing Tamara Lanier, who had waged a six-year legal battle over what she alleged was its wrongful claim of ownership over photos that were taken without her ancestors' consent. The photos will not go to Lanier as part of the settlement, but instead will be turned over along with pictures of five other enslaved people to the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. "Harvard played a role in the darkest chapter in American history," Lanier said in a statement. "This is a small step in the right direction towards fully acknowledging that history and working to rectify it." Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard said it had long been eager to place the photos with another public institution "to put them in the appropriate context and increase access to them for all Americans". "This settlement now allows us to move forward towards that goal," the school said. The settlement comes as Harvard fights in court against efforts by President Donald Trump's administration to terminate billions of dollars in grant funding and end its ability to enrol foreign students. The lawsuit concerned images depicting Renty Taylor and his daughter Delia, slaves on a South Carolina plantation who were forced to disrobe for photos taken for a racist study by Harvard Professor Louis Agassiz. The photos were being kept at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology on Harvard's campus when Lanier sued in 2019. A judge in Massachusetts initially dismissed the case. But the state's highest court revived it in 2022, saying she had plausibly alleged Harvard was negligent and recklessly caused her to suffer emotional distress. Justice Scott Kafker, writing for the court, said Harvard "cavalierly" dismissed Lanier's claims of an ancestral link and disregarded her requests for information about how it was using the pictures, including when the school used Renty Taylor's image on a book cover. He called the pictures' creation "horrific" and said Harvard had "responsibilities to the descendants of the individuals coerced into having their half-naked images captured in the daguerreotypes". [[nid:718353]]
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Harvard Will Relinquish Photos of Enslaved People to Museum After Legal Battle with Distant Relative
Harvard University will relinquish photographs of seven enslaved people to the International African American Museum The settlement comes between Harvard and Tamara Lanier after a six-year legal battle Two of the photos depict Lanier's alleged ancestors, Renty and Delia, in South CarolinaHarvard University will relinquish photographs of enslaved people to the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, S.C. in a settlement reached on Wednesday, May 28. The Ivy League institution previously housed the images, believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved African people in the United States, in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. The photos' subjects, identified as Renty and his daughter Delia, were taken in approximately 1850, when they were enslaved. The daguerreotype portraits, which are 175 years old, were identified by Tamara Lanier as her great-great-great-grandfather and his child. The settlement between Harvard and Lanier comes after a six-year legal battle, per the New York Times. Lanier filed the suit on the basis that her ancestors did not consent to being photographed. The outlet reports that the images were obtained by the university for Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz to use as evidence for a discredited pseudoscientific theory of Black racial inferiority in defense of slavery. Outside of the photographs of Renty and Delia, there are five other portraits of enslaved people that will be relinquished to the IAAM. 'I have been at odds with Harvard over the custody and care of my enslaved ancestors, and now I can rest assured that my enslaved ancestors will be traveling to a new home,' Lanier told the New York Times. She continued, 'They will be returning to their home state where this all began, and they will be placed in an institution that can celebrate their humanity.' James Chisholm, a spokesman for Harvard, told the outlet, 'Harvard has been committed to stewarding the daguerreotypes in a responsible manner and finding an institutional home for them where their historical significance is appreciated." Joshua Koskoff, Lanier's attorney, told the Associated Press that this outcome of the case was "unprecedented." Koskoff elaborated, 'I think it's one of one in American history, because of the combination of unlikely features: to have a case that dates back 175 years, to win control over images dating back that long of enslaved people — that's never happened before." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The AP reports that Susanna Moore, a descendant of Agassiz, was also in support of the settlement. Moore told the outlet that her ancestor's study was a 'deeply racist project.' She continued to say, 'This victory reminds us that the meaning of such objects in museums can and should change. This woman standing next to me, she knew all along she was not small and she was not alone.' Moore and Lanier have become close personal friends. Lanier told the Times of Moore's family, 'I have vacationed with them. I have spent time with them. We stay connected." IAAM CEO Tonya Matthews said in a statement to the AP, 'The bravery, tenacity, and grace shown by Ms. Lanier throughout the long and arduous process of returning these critical pieces of Renty and Delia's story to South Carolina is a model for us all." PEOPLE reached out to the IAAM, but did not immediately hear back. Read the original article on People
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Harvard University agrees to transfer ownership of slavery photographs
The images are some of the oldest known photographs of enslaved people in the United States. But the daguerreotypes of an African man known as Renty and his daughter Delia have been at the centre of a years-long legal dispute over the legacy of slavery and those who profit from it. On Wednesday, that dispute came to a close, when the institution that held the 175-year-old photographs — Harvard University — agreed to a settlement that would end its ownership of the images. Instead, the daguerreotypes will be transferred to the International African American Museum, a recently opened educational institution in Charleston, South Carolina, with a unique tie to the transatlantic slave trade: It is located on a wharf that used to be the largest port of entry for enslaved people trafficked into North America. The settlement was the culmination of a lawsuit led by Tamara Lanier, a Connecticut woman who says she is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Renty. In 2019, she sued Harvard for the 'wrongful seizure, possession and expropriation' of the images, part of a series of 15 daguerrotypes made to support white supremacist ideas. Lanier's lawsuit accused Harvard of reaping profits from the photographs, through licensing feeds and reprints on the covers of books and conferences. She had called on Harvard to return the photographs to her and acknowledge its ties to slavery in the US, as well as pay damages. While Harvard did not acknowledge Lanier's claims to the photographs, it did agree to an undisclosed financial deal as part of Wednesday's settlement. Lanier's legal team and others celebrated the deal as a milestone in addressing the ongoing toll of slavery. 'The bravery, tenacity, and grace shown by Ms Lanier throughout the long and arduous process of returning these critical pieces of Renty and Delia's story to South Carolina is a model for us all,' said Tonya M Matthews, the CEO of the International African American Museum. The museum pledged to consult with Lanier as it determines how best to present the portraits of Renty and Delia. The daguerreotypes were shot in 1850 using individuals taken from plantations — sites of forced agricultural labour — in South Carolina. A Harvard biologist named Louis Agassiz had commissioned the photographer Joseph Zealy to shoot the images, with the aim of using them as illustrations to advance a racist theory. Agassiz believed in 'polygenism', the false idea that different races came from different origins — and that white people were genetically superior to other races. For the portrait-style daguerreotypes, Renty, Delia and other forcibly enslaved people were stripped down to their waists. They were then captured at different angles: some facing the camera, others in profile. Several of the daguerrotypes show people forced to fully stand naked in front of the camera. The daguerreotypes were eventually stored at Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, where they were forgotten for nearly a century. In 1976, however, a museum curator named Ellie Reichlin found the images in a museum cabinet, propelling them to newfound fame. Renty's image, for example, was reproduced on the cover of textbooks, at conferences, and in articles, raising questions about whether the reprints were dehumanising him again and again — and who should own his image. Harvard University has long disputed that it has profited from images like those of Renty and Delia, saying it only charges a 'nominal' fee for reprints. Lanier has said she first came across Renty's and Delia's images when she was doing genealogical research into her family's history. She told US media that she had grown up with stories of 'Papa Renty' even before she came across the daguerrotypes. When she tried to share her family history with Harvard, Lanier alleges she was repeatedly rebuffed. Eventually, she filed her lawsuit, arguing that Harvard could not own the images as they were taken under duress. 'To Agassiz, Renty and Delia were nothing more than research specimens,' the lawsuit argues. 'The violence of compelling them to participate in a degrading exercise designed to prove their own subhuman status would not have occurred to him, let alone mattered.' Dozens of Agassiz's descendants also penned a letter on Lanier's behalf, calling on Harvard to 'acknowledge and redress the harm done by Louis Agassiz'. Initially, Harvard sought to dismiss Lanier's lawsuit, and in 2021, Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Camille Sarrouf Jr sided with the university. While acknowledging the inhumane circumstances the photographs were taken under, Judge Sarrouf wrote that the subject of the daguerreotypes had no rights over the copies made. 'The law, as it currently stands, does not confer a property interest to the subject of a photograph regardless of how objectionable the photograph's origins may be,' Sarrouf wrote. But in 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Court came to a different conclusion, siding instead with Lanier. It vacated the 2021 decision to dismiss Lanier's claim, clearing a path for further legal hearings on the subject. 'We conclude that Harvard's present obligations cannot be divorced from its past abuses,' the state court wrote, denouncing Harvard's 'complicity in the horrific actions surrounding the creation of the daguerreotypes'. 'Once Lanier communicated her understanding that the daguerreotypes depicted her ancestors', the court found that the university should have taken 'reasonable care' to respond to her concerns. The lawsuit over the fate of the photographs has continued since then — but Harvard itself has faced new challenges since the state supreme court's ruling. Over the last few months, the prestigious Ivy League school has seen all its federal contracts and grants frozen or cancelled, as part of an escalating feud with President Donald Trump. The Republican leader has accused Harvard of allowing anti-Semitism to spread on its campuses and using discriminatory practices for student admissions and hiring, both charges that the school denies. Harvard has refused to accept the Trump administration's demands for greater control over campus activities, citing its duty to protect its academic freedom. Trump, meanwhile, has faced criticism for seeking to stifle dissent and protest on US campuses. Wednesday's settlement comes amid that ongoing political standoff. Still, Lanier's lawyer Joshua Koskoff told The Associated Press that the settlement was an 'unprecedented' victory. 'To have a case that dates back 175 years, to win control over images dating back that long of enslaved people — that's never happened before,' Koskoff said. He did, however, express disappointment that the school did not directly address Lanier's claims to the pictures nor its connection to slavery. Harvard, meanwhile, issued a statement saying it has 'long been eager to place the Zealy Daguerreotypes with another museum or other public institution' in order to increase access to them. 'This settlement now allows us to move forward towards that goal,' the university said. 'While we are grateful to Ms. Lanier for sparking important conversations about these images, this was a complex situation, particularly since Harvard has not confirmed that Ms. Lanier was related to the individuals in the daguerreotypes.'
