Mar 20, 2025 - Sale 2697

Sale 2697 - Lot 390

Price Realized: $ 1,375
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
(WOMEN'S HISTORY.) Large group of press photos relating to the trial of murder trial of rape victim Joan Little. 30 photographs, each about 8 x 10 inches, captioned in the negative; minimal wear, mostly blank on verso without press agency markings, a few captioned in ink on verso "Joan Little." North Carolina, 1975
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In August 1974, Joan / JoAnn Little was serving a sentence at Beaufort County Jail in North Carolina. A notoriously predatory prison guard attempted to rape her, and she stabbed him to death with an ice pick. Facing the death penalty, her case became a national cause at the intersection of the feminist, racial justice, and prison reform movements. Rosa Parks and the local Black Panther Party chapter were among the thousands who worked in her defense. In August 1975, she became the first woman in American history to be acquitted of murder in self-defense against sexual assault.

These photographs show Little with celebrity supporters Angela Davis and Dick Gregory; her attorney Morris Dees also makes an appearance. Also included are a protest in Raleigh, NC, as well as scenes outside prisons and courtrooms.