By Latria Graham, Artwork by Alanna Fields, The Atlantic, September, 2021
The photographs are about the size of a small hand. They’re wrapped in a leatherette case and framed in gold. From the background of one, the image of a Black woman’s body emerges. Her hair is plaited close to her head, and she is naked from the waist up. Her stare seems to penetrate the glass of the frame, peering into the eyes of the viewer. The paper label that accompanies her likeness reads: DELIA, COUNTRY BORN OF AFRICAN PARENTS, DAUGHTER OF RENTRY, CONGO. In another frame, her father stands before the camera, his collarbone prominent, and his temples peppered with gray and white hair. The label on his photo says: RENTY, CONGO, ON PLANTATION OF B.F. TAYLOR, COLUMBIA, S.C.
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