Carolina museum devoted to African American history, as part of a settlement with a woman who claims to be a descendant of one of the subjects.

The photographs, which Tamara Lanier identifies as depicting her great-great-great-grandfather Renty—whom she calls "Papa Renty"—and his daughter Delia, will be transferred from Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology to the International African American Museum in South Carolina. That is the state where Renty and Delia were enslaved when the photos were taken in 1850, according to Lanier’s lawyer.

The settlement ends a 15-year battle between Lanier and the university over the release of the 19th-century daguerreotypes, an early form of photography. Lanier’s attorney, Joshua Koskoff, told The Associated Press that the resolution represents an “unprecedented” victory for descendants of enslaved people in the U.S., and praised his client’s determination in pursuing justice for the individuals she believes to be her ancestors.

“I think it’s one of a kind in American history, because of the combination of unlikely factors: to have a case that dates back 175 years, and to win control over images of enslaved people from that era — that’s never happened before,” Koskoff said.

A central question in the case was whether Harvard could legally retain ownership of dehumanizing images of enslaved individuals who could not consent to being photographed. The Massachusetts court system ultimately sided with Harvard on the issue of legal ownership, but allowed Lanier to continue pursuing emotional damages from the institution.  (Jamaica Gleaner)