Harvard University has transferred ownership of historic daguerreotypes depicting enslaved people to the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, ending a six-year legal battle. The 15 fragile images, believed to be the earliest known photographs of enslaved Americans, were commissioned in 1850 by Harvard professor Louis Agassiz to promote racist theories about racial inferiority.

The portraits of Renty, Delia, and four others were long stored in Harvard's collections until 2019, when descendant Tamara Lanier sued for ownership. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled she had no ownership rights but allowed her emotional harm claims to proceed. Harvard quietly relinquished the images last year as part of a settlement, though it could not confirm Lanier's lineage.

A private courier transported the images from Harvard's facility in Cambridge to Charleston with GPS tracking and constant monitoring. The museum plans to display reproductions in October while storing originals away from light. Museum president Tonya Matthews said the images were originally intended to showcase people as specimens, but now will be honored as humans rather than haunting artifacts of racism.