This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Oldest Known Photos of U.S. Black Slaves Unearthed
Harvard archivist Elinor Reichlin found daguerreotypes from 1850 in Peabody museum showing enslaved Africans in Columbia South Carolina. Some subjects are named or traced to owners, offering roots research though posing ethical questions about displaying nude images. Images were taken for anatomical study under photographer J T Zealy and ordered by Louis Agassiz.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cambridge
Mass
Harvard
United States
Elinor Reichlin
Peabody Museum
Columbia
S.C
Stephen Williams
Africa
Alex Haley
Williams
Alfred
I. Lomas
Louis Agassiz
Robert W. Gibbes