South Carolina will soon become the new home for a set of historically significant photographs known as the 1850 daguerreotypes, believed to be the earliest known photographic images of enslaved people in the United States. The images are being transferred to the International African American Museum in Charleston, where they will be preserved and interpreted for the public.
The photographs—taken in 1850 in Columbia, South Carolina—depict seven enslaved individuals identified as Renty, Delia, Jack, Drana, Alfred, Fassena, and Jem. The images were commissioned by Louis Agassiz, a Harvard scientist who sought to use photography as part of research supporting racial theories that falsely claimed people of African descent were inferior. The photographs were produced by photographer Joseph T. Zealy using the daguerreotype process, an early photographic technique that captures images on silver-coated copper plates.
A daguerreotype was the first widely used form of photography in the 19th century. Each image is a one-of-a-kind photograph created through a chemical process that produces a highly detailed image on a polished metal plate. Because of the fragile and unique nature of daguerreotypes, surviving examples are rare and historically valuable.
For more than a century, the images were held by Harvard University. Their return to South Carolina follows years of advocacy and legal action by Tamara Lanier, who has asserted that she is a descendant of two of the individuals pictured, Renty and Delia. After extended legal proceedings and negotiations, Harvard agreed to transfer stewardship of the images to the Charleston museum.
The daguerreotypes will be housed and preserved at the International African American Museum, located at the historic site of Gadsden’s Wharf in Charleston. The location carries deep historical significance, as historians estimate that nearly half of the enslaved Africans brought to what became the United States first entered through Charleston’s port.
Museum officials say the photographs will be interpreted and displayed in a way that centers the lives and humanity of the individuals depicted rather than the pseudoscientific theories for which the images were originally created.
The transfer of the daguerreotypes marks a significant moment for South Carolina’s historical institutions and for ongoing efforts to preserve and interpret artifacts connected to the history of slavery in the United States. Further details about exhibition plans and public viewing opportunities are expected to be announced by the International African American Museum as the images are prepared for preservation and display.
Community members interested in learning more about the return of the daguerreotypes and future public programming can visit the International African American Museum’s website for updates.
