- Oct 17, 2011
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We made a mistake.
As the National Archives of the United States, we are and have always been completely committed to preserving our archival holdings, without alteration.
In an elevator lobby promotional display for our current exhibit on the 19th Amendment, we obscured some words on protest signs in a photo of the 2017 Women’s March. This photo is not an archival record held by the National Archives, but one we licensed to use as a promotional graphic. Nonetheless, we were wrong to alter the image.
We have removed the current display and will replace it as soon as possible with one that uses the unaltered image.
We apologize, and will immediately start a thorough review of our exhibit policies and procedures so that this does not happen again.
The alterations include blurring Trump's name on signs critical of him, and blurring references to female anatomy (one clearly in relation to something Trump famously declared). These Orwellian revisions seem particularly atrocious -- for an Exhibit on the power of women in gaining the vote 100 years ago, and using their voice in politics in the recent march, they opted to erase the messages the women were expressing.
The Archives originally defended their action, on the basis that they didn't alter the image in the Archives. This is merely some advertising for the Exhibit. But realistically, the image outside the exhibit is the only version that visitors are likely to see, since the original image is not part of the exhibit. So I'm glad they've made the decision to use the original image.
One question that remains unanswered (as far as I know) is whether Getty Images (from whom the original photo was licensed) knew or approved of the changes.
As the National Archives of the United States, we are and have always been completely committed to preserving our archival holdings, without alteration.
In an elevator lobby promotional display for our current exhibit on the 19th Amendment, we obscured some words on protest signs in a photo of the 2017 Women’s March. This photo is not an archival record held by the National Archives, but one we licensed to use as a promotional graphic. Nonetheless, we were wrong to alter the image.
We have removed the current display and will replace it as soon as possible with one that uses the unaltered image.
We apologize, and will immediately start a thorough review of our exhibit policies and procedures so that this does not happen again.
The alterations include blurring Trump's name on signs critical of him, and blurring references to female anatomy (one clearly in relation to something Trump famously declared). These Orwellian revisions seem particularly atrocious -- for an Exhibit on the power of women in gaining the vote 100 years ago, and using their voice in politics in the recent march, they opted to erase the messages the women were expressing.
The Archives originally defended their action, on the basis that they didn't alter the image in the Archives. This is merely some advertising for the Exhibit. But realistically, the image outside the exhibit is the only version that visitors are likely to see, since the original image is not part of the exhibit. So I'm glad they've made the decision to use the original image.
One question that remains unanswered (as far as I know) is whether Getty Images (from whom the original photo was licensed) knew or approved of the changes.
