Harvard Transfers Historic Photos of Enslaved Individuals to African American Museum After Settlement

This July 17, 2018 copy photo shows a 1850 Daguerreotype of Renty, a South Carolina slave who Tamara Lanier, of Norwich, Conn., said is her family's patriarch. The portrait was commissioned by Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz, whose ideas were used to support the enslavement of Africans in the United States. Lanier filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Massachusetts state court, demanding that Harvard turn over the photo and pay damages.

Harvard University has agreed to transfer ownership of the oldest known photographs of enslaved people in the United States to the International African American Museum in South Carolina, concluding a landmark settlement with Tamara Lanier, a woman who identifies herself as a direct descendant of the individuals depicted. The daguerreotypes—dating back 175 years—feature Renty and Delia, a father and daughter who were enslaved in South Carolina when the images were taken in 1850.

The images had been held by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard, where they were commissioned by Louis Agassiz, a Harvard biologist whose pseudoscientific theories on racial inferiority once underpinned justifications for slavery. Lanier has fought a 15-year battle to reclaim what she calls her family’s stolen history, and her efforts have now culminated in what her legal team described as an “unprecedented” victory in the pursuit of reparative justice.

In this July 17, 2018 photo, Tamara Lanier holds an 1850 photograph of Renty, a South Carolina slave who Tamara Lanier, of Norwich, Conn., said is her family's patriarch. The portrait was commissioned by Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz, whose ideas were used to support the enslavement of Africans in the United States. Lanier filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Massachusetts state court, demanding that Harvard turn over the photo and pay damages.

The daguerreotypes are considered among the earliest visual records of enslaved Africans in the United States and were originally created without consent. Agassiz sought out individuals he deemed racially “pure,” coercing Renty and Delia into being photographed shirtless in dehumanizing poses to support his racist theories. The Massachusetts court system ultimately ruled that the images were legally owned by Harvard as the product of the photographer’s work, not the subjects. However, the courts allowed Lanier’s lawsuit to continue on the grounds of emotional distress and recognized Harvard’s historical complicity in the abuse surrounding the creation of the images.

As part of the agreement, the university relinquished ownership and control of the daguerreotypes and facilitated their transfer to the International African American Museum. Lanier and the museum’s leadership have confirmed that she will be involved in decisions regarding how Renty and Delia’s story will be presented and honored.

Tamara Lanier, left, and attorney Benjamin Crump, right.

Standing beside Susanna Moore—the great-great-great-granddaughter of Agassiz—Lanier held a portrait of Renty at the announcement. Moore acknowledged the racist intent behind her ancestor’s work, while Lanier called the resolution a meaningful act of historical and moral accountability. “This pilfered property, images taken without dignity or consent and used to promote a racist psychoscience, will now be repatriated to a home where their stories can be told and their humanity can be restored,” Lanier said.

Moore echoed her sentiments, stating that the outcome shows how the meaning of historical artifacts can evolve: “This woman standing next to me, she knew all along she was not small and she was not alone.”

In 2019, Lanier filed suit against Harvard for the unlawful retention and monetization of the images, citing their use in academic presentations and requiring licensing fees for reproduction. The case ignited widespread discussion on institutional accountability and the ethical treatment of historically significant materials involving enslaved people.

The 2021 ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court maintained Harvard’s ownership under existing intellectual property laws, yet it underscored the university’s entanglement in the injustices of slavery. The court noted that “Harvard’s present obligations cannot be divorced from its past abuses.”

Tamara Lanier

Harvard stated that it had long aimed to transfer the images to a more appropriate institution and acknowledged Lanier’s role in catalyzing important conversations about the images and the legacy they represent. However, the university has not confirmed Lanier’s genealogical connection to Renty and Delia, nor has it explicitly acknowledged its own role in the perpetuation of slavery, according to Lanier’s legal team.

The settlement includes an undisclosed financial component, although no public admission of wrongdoing by Harvard was included. Lanier had also requested that the university recognize her family history and its own historical ties to slavery—points that remain unaddressed in Harvard’s official statement.

Tonya M. Matthews, CEO of the International African American Museum, praised Lanier’s unwavering commitment and characterized the acquisition as a historic step in honoring the memory of those whose identities were suppressed for centuries. “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,” she said.

Lanier’s attorney, Joshua Koskoff, emphasized that while the legal victory speaks volumes, the moral conversation is far from over. “In the end, the truth will find you — you can only hide from it for so long,” he said. “Yes, history is written by the winners. But over time, those winners look like losers sometimes.”