Court Rules Descendant of Slaves Depicted in Photos Can Sue Harvard
A court has ruled that Harvard University can be sued over a series of photographs that depict enslaved people by a woman who is a descendent of the subjects.
Judge Rules Images of Enslaved Are Property of Harvard, Not Descendant
A Massachusetts judge has dismissed a woman's lawsuit claiming that she is the rightful owner of the images of an enslaved father and daughter and not Harvard, the New York Times reports. The judge cites common law that the content of an image cannot be used to claim ownership of that image, regardless of the subject.
Harvard Sued Over Profiting From Its Earliest Slave Photos from 1850
Harvard University is being sued over daguerreotypes of slaves -- believed to be the earliest photos of American slaves -- commissioned by one of its professors back in 1850. A descendant of the slaves accuses Harvard of wrongfully seizing, possessing, and profiting from the photos.