By Micah Jonah, March 13, 2026
Harvard University has transferred what are believed to be the earliest known photographs of enslaved people in the United States to the International African American Museum, following a settlement reached last year.
The images, taken in 1850 by photographer Joseph Zealy under the direction of Harvard scientist, Louis Agassiz, depict an enslaved father and his daughter. They were originally used in a scientific study aimed at supporting theories of Black inferiority.
Tamara Lanier, a descendant of the individuals photographed, had filed a six-year legal battle asserting wrongful ownership of the images. The settlement resolved her claims and returned the photographs to South Carolina, the state where the subjects were enslaved.
The museum emphasized that the images are being reframed “from instruments of pseudoscience into portraits honoring the lives and humanity of the individuals they captured.” Harvard stated that it had long sought to place the photographs in a public institution where they could be viewed in historical context and made accessible to all Americans.
This transfer marks
an important step in acknowledging the forced exploitation of enslaved people and preserving the historical record with dignity and respect.
The photographs now serve as a reminder of the injustices of slavery while honoring the memory of those whose images were once used to justify discrimination.
