An outsider-researcher saved and decoded Harvard’s slave daguerreotypes

Evidence

There are so many others who have played a pivotal role in making this book a reality, including Ellie Reichlin and her husband, Dr. Seymour Reichlin. I must acknowledge and thank them both for the sacrifices made on behalf of my enslaved ancestors. It was Ellie who first realized the incalculable historical value of the daguerreotypes and invested countless hours in piecing together their checkered history. I firmly believe that were it not for Ellie, the daguerreotypes might have been discarded or overlooked and thus leaving a dreadful part of Harvard’s dark past undiscovered. And to Dr. Reichlin, Ellie’s adoring husband, thank you for running the last leg of Ellie’s race. After her passing, you picked up the torch and carried it home. You continued her research and ultimately found Renty’s descendants. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 1385

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the account of archival recovery of the Agassiz daguerreotypes that presumably runs through the main text of From These Roots.