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BLACK MUZE INITIATIVE

Credits & rights

Every image, accounted for

Each record keeps where an image comes from (provenance) separate from what the source says about reuse (permission). Categories summarize the source's own statement and supporting evidence; they are not legal determinations. Rights review is ongoing, and records are updated as new evidence arrives.

36 portrait records

Portrait categories in this edition

  • : 7
  • : 1
  • : 2
  • : 4
  • : 4
  • : 18

11 portraits have been upgraded with verified source originals and item-level evidence. No category implies another: “no known restrictions” is an institutional statement, not a public-domain finding.

Agency and institutional images

Maintain accurate historical context, credit the creator/agency, preserve source records and avoid implying subject or agency endorsement.

NASA, National Park Service, U.S. Air Force and Library of Congress images are used for factual educational biography profiles. Their use does not imply endorsement by any agency or by the people shown. No promotional, merchandise or separate personality-rights clearance is asserted. These limits do not prevent the identified factual educational profile use.

Evidence reviewed 2026-11-08.

Contextual media register

13 of 13 reuse-supported contextual items. Local copies are optimized WebP derivatives; the original-quality file stays at its source.

  • Charles Young and the Sequoia road crew pose together in a forest.

    Provenance

    Sequoia Road Crew, 1903

    Date: 1903 · Creator: Photographer unidentified; National Park Service repository

    Figure: Charles Young

    Source size: 1500 × 1210 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    Public domain

    Item Constraints Information states Public domain:Full Granting Rights.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Historical group photograph; supports cooperative infrastructure work. NPS item location is administrative repository, not the photographed location.

  • View upward along the trunk of the Booker T. Washington giant sequoia into the sky.

    Provenance

    Looking up into the heavens

    Date: 2019-11-11 · Creator: NPS/Tom Engberg

    Figure: Charles Young

    Source size: 6000 × 4000 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    Public domain

    Item explicitly credits NPS/Tom Engberg and states Public domain:Full Granting Rights.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Modern landscape context, not a 1903 photograph and not the Charles Young Tree. Caption must preserve this distinction.

  • Full California Eagle newspaper front page with the headline Watts Citizens Will March To Victory.

    Provenance

    California Eagle front page, April 8, 1916

    Date: 1916-04-08 · Creator: California Eagle

    Figure: Charlotta Bass

    Source size: 5342 × 6575 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    Public domain in the United States

    Commons PD-US statement; newspaper first published in 1916. File source is the digitized issue in the California Eagle Internet Archive microfilm collection.

    License evidence

    Editorial: An authentic issue, not a reconstruction. Historic language and advertisements require educator preview. Black newspaper ownership and community campaigning are stronger context than treating this front page as Bass’s sole authored work.

  • Educator-context image hidden

    Provenance

    The Death of Cleopatra

    Date: Sculpture carved 1876; photograph 2010 · Creator: Edmonia Lewis, sculptor; Gene Young, photographer; Smithsonian American Art Museum

    Figure: Edmonia Lewis

    Source size: 2250 × 3000 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    CC0 1.0

    Commons reproduces Smithsonian Open Access file and CC0 license; Smithsonian collection record saam_1994.17 independently lists Restrictions & Rights: CC0.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Artwork depicts death and includes partial artistic nudity; suitable for an educator-facing article, with educator preview before use in K–2. No sensational account of suicide in child-facing text.

    Educator-context only: This classical sculpture depicts a death scene and partial nudity. Educator preview recommended before use with children.

  • Color photograph of the crowd gathered at the Washington Monument for the March on Washington.

    Provenance

    Crowd at the Washington Monument during the March on Washington

    Date: 1963-08-28 · Creator: David L. Harris; Library of Congress

    Figure: Bayard Rustin

    Source size: 4994 × 3399 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    No known restrictions on publication

    Library of Congress item Rights Advisory explicitly says No known restrictions on publication; this is a repository advisory, not a warranty or an explicit CC license.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Event context for Bayard Rustin’s organizing role; do not identify Rustin as a person in this crowd without evidence. Original TIFF preserved; website derivative may be generated without retouching.

  • Historic newspaper illustration of the large house associated with Mary Ellen Pleasant and the Bell family.

    Provenance

    Home of Mary Ellen Pleasant and Thomas Bell’s family

    Date: 1892-10-17 · Creator: Unidentified newspaper illustrator

    Figure: Mary Ellen Pleasant

    Source size: 650 × 710 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    Public domain

    Commons identifies an 1892 newspaper illustration and marks the work public domain / Public Domain Mark.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Supplemental medium-resolution image: display at modest width; not a full-width hero. Historical depiction rather than a current photograph. Do not infer legal ownership from the caption.

  • Two wood engravings show Robert Smalls and the sidewheel steamer Planter.

    Provenance

    Robert Smalls and the gun-boat Planter

    Date: 1862-06-14 · Creator: Unidentified wood engraver; Harper’s Weekly; Library of Congress reproduction

    Figure: Robert Smalls

    Source size: 4096 × 3287 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    Public domain

    Published in 1862; Commons PD-old-100-expired and Library of Congress No known restrictions on publication advisory.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Historical wood engraving, not a photograph of the escape. The source file is the higher-resolution Library of Congress scan as supplied by Commons.

  • White marble sculpture of two seated figures, one holding an arrow.

    Provenance

    Old Arrow Maker

    Date: Modeled 1866, carved 1872; photograph 2004 · Creator: Edmonia Lewis, sculptor; Lea Christiano, photographer; Smithsonian American Art Museum

    Figure: Edmonia Lewis

    Source size: 2122 × 2829 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    CC0 1.0

    Smithsonian Open Access image linked by Commons with CC0 dedication; no need to rely on a generic museum copyright assumption.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Inspired by Longfellow’s poem, not a documentary representation of all Indigenous lives. Discuss Lewis’s artistic choices and distinguish romanticized literature from lived Indigenous cultures.

  • Educator-context image hidden

    Provenance

    The Symbol of the Unconquered newspaper advertisement

    Date: 1920-12-11 · Creator: Advertisement for Oscar Micheaux’s film; publisher’s typesetting unattributed

    Figure: Oscar Micheaux

    Source size: 3840 × 1012 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    Public domain in the United States

    Commons PD-US designation and documented 1920 newspaper publication; source links the original newspaper issue.

    License evidence

    Editorial: A contemporary promotional artifact, not a modern poster or reconstructed title. Historic marketing language requires educator preview. Use as evidence of filmmaking and distribution, not as an uncritical endorsement of its phrasing. Download uses the official 3840-pixel derivative because the original download was rate-limited; original URL retained. Contains historical racial labels and an adjacent advertisement using a racist caricature name; reserve this unaltered primary source for educator-led analysis, not a K–2 hero image.

    Educator-context only: This historical newspaper page includes an adjacent advertisement with racist caricature. Shown for educator examination only.

  • Latimer’s 1882 patent sheet shows carbon strips protected in envelopes and stacked inside a heated container.

    Provenance

    Latimer’s carbon-manufacturing patent drawing

    Date: 1882-01-17 · Creator: Lewis H. Latimer; United States Patent Office publication

    Credit: Lewis H. Latimer, U.S. Patent 252,386 (1882); scan via Google Patents.

    Figure: Lewis Latimer

    Source size: 1090 × 1600 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    Public domain in the United States: published in 1882.

    Original 1882 patent publication. USPTO states patent text and drawings are typically unrestricted, subject to exceptions. No copyright notice found in inspected drawing or extracted text.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Shows a manufacturing process, not the invention of the light bulb. PNG is a faithful render of PDF page 1; no historical content changed.

  • Patent drawing of temperature-control equipment in a vehicle compartment, credited to Joseph Numero and Frederick Jones.

    Provenance

    A vehicle temperature-control design

    Date: 1942-12-01 · Creator: Joseph A. Numero and Frederick M. Jones; United States Patent Office publication

    Credit: Joseph A. Numero and Frederick M. Jones, U.S. Patent 2,303,857 (1942); scan via Google Patents.

    Figure: Frederick McKinley Jones

    Source size: 1090 × 1600 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    Patent drawing: reuse supported by USPTO patent-information guidance; no copyright notice found.

    USPTO states patent text and drawings are typically unrestricted, with limited exceptions. Inspected page and extracted text of the full 17-page patent contain no copyright notice. No blanket claim that all patent content is public domain.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Always credit both inventors. This is the 1942 joint patent, not Jones’s first refrigeration patent or an invention of all refrigeration. PNG is PDF page 1.

  • Title page of Gladys B. West’s June 1986 report on data processing for the GEOSAT satellite radar altimeter.

    Provenance

    Gladys West’s own satellite-data report

    Date: 1986-06 · Creator: Gladys B. West, Naval Surface Weapons Center

    Credit: Gladys B. West / Naval Surface Weapons Center, NSWC TR 86-149 (1986); scan via Wikimedia Commons.

    Figure: Gladys West

    Source size: 500 × 644 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    Public domain in the United States: work of the federal government.

    Commons identifies the report as a federal employee’s official work under 17 USC 105. Title page confirms author, federal institution, June 1986, and approval for public release.

    License evidence

    Editorial: The authentic title page is PDF page 3; the first two pages are microfiche/calibration material. This is a 500-pixel web preview, suitable for a small contextual card. It is evidence of West’s research, not a patent for inventing GPS alone.

  • A NASA diagram connects the Landsat 1 satellite, ground receiving stations, data-processing facilities, and researchers with arrows.

    Provenance

    How early Landsat data reached people

    Date: Undated historical diagram; NASA gallery updated 2025 · Creator: NASA

    Credit: NASA, Earth Resources Technology Satellite communications diagram.

    Figure: Valerie Thomas

    Source size: 1920 × 1080 px

    Source record · Original file

    Permission

    NASA educational/informational reuse supported; federal NASA image with no third-party credit.

    Item credits NASA. NASA media guidance permits factual educational and informational use with acknowledgment and without implied endorsement; no third-party rights notice shown on item.

    License evidence

    Editorial: Program context, not a drawing claimed to be made by Thomas. Her role is independently supported by NASA’s interview. Preserve diagram aspect ratio and offer enlargement; do not claim this diagram or entire Landsat system as her sole invention.

Partner logos

Exact approved files supplied by the partners; displayed unmodified with preserved proportions.

  • Black Muze Global Network

    Black Muze Global Network

    1024×358 PNG · verified 2026-11-08 · used with partner approval

    Gold full horizontal mark; use against black/dark background. Keep clear space at least the GLOBAL NETWORK text height.

  • Obsidian Solutions

    Obsidian Solutions

    1024×1024 PNG · verified 2026-11-08 · used with partner approval

    Full stacked mark including SOLUTIONS; use on dark quiet background, with clear space at least 15% of logo width. Preserve all elements and purple glow.

  • Pedagogy Muse

    Pedagogy Muse

    1024×430 PNG · verified 2026-11-08 · used with partner approval

    Character and open book with green PEDAGOGY/red MUSE text. Prefer white or very light background for readable brand name. Keep character and book together, preserve colors and aspect ratio.

Data sources

  • U.S. Census Bureau — 2026 National Places Gazetteer
    Representative point of a modern Census place; not historical address or necessarily geometric centroid. Documentation
  • U.S. Census Bureau — 2026 National Counties Gazetteer
    Representative point of a county; coarser accuracy than city-level data. Documentation
  • GeoNames — United States and Puerto Rico postal-code data · CC BY 4.0
    Estimated WGS84 postal locality coordinates; GeoNames accuracy flags retained; not USPS-certified ZIP boundaries. Postal-code coordinates: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Modified into a ZIP lookup table. Documentation
  • U.S. Census Bureau — 2026 National County Subdivisions Gazetteer
    Representative point of a modern township; used for Montclair, New Jersey. Documentation
  • GeoNames — San Francisco populated-city point (5391959) · CC BY 4.0
    Populated-city point, replacing the Census representative point for San Francisco municipal territory including offshore islands. San Francisco city coordinate: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Documentation
  • OpenStreetMap map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).