Trump Orders Removal of Photo of Enslaved Man’s Scars and Information About Slavery from National Parks: Report

One of the most famous Civil War–era portraits of a slave will reportedly be removed from national parks and museums under the Trump administration

An 1863 photo taken of escaped enslaved man Gordon titled “The Scourged Back,” which shows “severe whipping scars,” is at the center of the debate. However, in a statement to PEOPLE, the White House described the removal of the portrait as “fake news” and stated that the exhibit is under review

Images reportedly under review by the Trump administration “include signs referring to racial discrimination and the hostility of White people,” according to the Washington Post

President Donald Trump is reportedly having his administration remove photography related to slavery from national parks in the United States.
In an article published by the Washington Post on Monday, Sept. 15, the outlet reported that four anonymous sources familiar with the matter said the removal orders are tied to the 79-year-old’s March 27 executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which directs the Interior Department “to eliminate information that reflects a ‘corrosive ideology’ that disparages historic Americans.”
One of the portraits is said to be “The Scourged Back,” a photo taken in 1863 that shows the scarred back of escaped enslaved man Gordon.
“This is fake news. No decisions have been made on this exhibit – it is under review to ensure compliance with the Executive Order,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle tells PEOPLE.
According to the Met Museum, the marks on Gordon’s back are “severe whipping scars” he received and is “Perhaps the most famous of all known Civil War–era portraits of slaves.”
“Interpretive materials that disproportionately emphasize negative aspects of U.S. history or historical figures, without acknowledging broader context or national progress, can unintentionally distort understanding rather than enrich it,” National Park Service spokeswoman Rachel Pawlitz said in a statement.
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The outlet added that officials with the National Park Service are broadly using Trump’s orders to apply them to information on racism, sexism, slavery, gay rights or persecution of Indigenous people.
“This represents an enormous increase in federal power and control over the things we learn,” Jonathan Zimmerman, a University of Pennsylvania professor who studies the history of education, told the Post. “Brought to you by the team that says education should be state and local.”
Images reportedly under review by the Trump administration “include signs referring to racial discrimination and the hostility of White people,” the Post said, citing a source familiar with the matter, as well as documents reviewed by the outlet.

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Just last month, Trump criticized the Smithsonian Museums, calling them “out of control” and too “woke” for sharing images of slavery.
“The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE,'” he wrote in an Aug. 19 Truth Social post. “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.”
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“We are not going to allow this to happen, and I have instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made,” Trump continued.
He concluded by declaring that America “cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE.”
Trump’s March 27 order directs Vice President J.D. Vance in his capacity as a member of the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents to remove “divisive, race-centered ideology” from Smithsonian museums, research centers and the National Zoo.