A decade and a half ago, Tamara Lanier discovered that Harvard University held the original photos of her 3X-great-grandfather Renty Taylor and his daughter Delia taken during slavery.
The History of the Photos
Renty Taylor (b. circa 1775) and his daughter were enslaved on Edgehill Plantation in South Carolina. In 1850, biologist and scientific-racism proponent Louis Agassiz forced Mr. Taylor, his daughter Delia, and five other enslaved people to strip and pose for photos. These daguerrotype photos are some of the earliest known pictures of American enslaved.
The Standoff
Tamara Lanier demanded that Harvard release the daguerrotypes, claiming the pictures were taken without consent. Harvard refused to hand them over.
The Resolution
Click on the link below to read the details of Harvard relinquishing these photos.
REFERENCES:
“Who Was Renty Taylor?” AUTOGRAPH, URL, Nov 10, 2022
“Renty Taylor.” Wikipedia, URL.
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