“Emancipation” producer Joey McFarland has been criticized for collecting and subsequently publicizing an original photography collection of enslaved people.McFarland brought the famed 1863 photo of former slave “Whipped Peter” to the film’s premiere.
Will Smith portrays Peter in the Apple Original feature, helmed by Antoine Fuqua.“I have the photo, this is the original photograph from 1863,” McFarland told Variety on the red carpet.
“I wanted a piece of Peter to be here tonight.”McFarland continued, “It’s [sad] to say so many artifacts and photographs have not been preserved or curated or respected.
And I took it upon myself to curate and build a collection for future generations.”A self-described longtime collector, McFarland added that he would eventually donate the images for “educational purposes” upon his death.“My love of history, my love of truth, my love of larger-than-life individuals that had an impact on not just some people’s lives but the world,
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