After a 15-year battle, Harvard agrees in settlement to relinquish early photos of slaves

Harvard University has agreed to hand over century-old photos of enslaved individuals to a South Carolina museum, ending a 15-year battle with Tamara Lanier, a descendant of one of the subjects. The photos, believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved people, will be transferred to the International African American Museum in South Carolina. The settlement is considered a significant victory for descendants of enslaved individuals in the U.S. and marks a unique moment in American history. Lanier had sued Harvard in 2019 for wrongfully possessing the images and exploiting them. The photos were commissioned by Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz and used to support slavery. The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in Lanier’s favor in 2022, acknowledging Harvard’s past abuses. The South Carolina museum has committed to working with Lanier to tell the full story of the images.