![[North Reading Room, east wall. Detail of mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMDkvMDYvbm9ydGgtcmVhZGluZy1yb29tLWVhc3Qtd2FsbC1kZXRhaWwtb2YtbXVyYWwtYnktZXpyYS13aW50ZXItaWxsdXN0cmF0aW5nLXRoZS1hMjRlYjEtMTAyNC5qcGc%3D/320/107/jpg "[North Reading Room, east wall. Detail of mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]")
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![[North Reading Room, west wall. Detail of mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMDkvMTkvbm9ydGgtcmVhZGluZy1yb29tLXdlc3Qtd2FsbC1kZXRhaWwtb2YtbXVyYWwtYnktZXpyYS13aW50ZXItaWxsdXN0cmF0aW5nLXRoZS01NTBjZWEtNjQwLmpwZw%3D%3D/40/13/webp "[North Reading Room, west wall. Detail of mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]")
![[North Reading Room, west wall. Mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMDkvMjQvbm9ydGgtcmVhZGluZy1yb29tLXdlc3Qtd2FsbC1tdXJhbC1ieS1lenJhLXdpbnRlci1pbGx1c3RyYXRpbmctdGhlLWNoYXJhY3RlcnMtZDVlODcxLTY0MC5qcGc%3D/40/4/webp "[North Reading Room, west wall. Mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]")
![[North Reading Room. Mural with three generations, by Ezra Winter. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMDkvMTgvbm9ydGgtcmVhZGluZy1yb29tLW11cmFsLXdpdGgtdGhyZWUtZ2VuZXJhdGlvbnMtYnktZXpyYS13aW50ZXItbGlicmFyeS1vZi1jb25ncmVzcy01YjYyN2QtNjQwLmpwZw%3D%3D/40/30/webp "[North Reading Room. Mural with three generations, by Ezra Winter. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]")
![[South Reading Room, with murals by Ezra Winter. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzIwMDcvMDEvMDEvc291dGgtcmVhZGluZy1yb29tLXdpdGgtbXVyYWxzLWJ5LWV6cmEtd2ludGVyLWxpYnJhcnktb2YtY29uZ3Jlc3Mtam9obi1hZGFtcy02NDAuanBn/40/27/webp "[South Reading Room, with murals by Ezra Winter. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]")
![[South Reading Room. Mural of Thomas Jefferson with his residence, Monticello, in the background, by Ezra Winter. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMDkvMTQvc291dGgtcmVhZGluZy1yb29tLW11cmFsLW9mLXRob21hcy1qZWZmZXJzb24td2l0aC1oaXMtcmVzaWRlbmNlLW1vbnRpY2VsbG8tZGVjYThjLTY0MC5qcGc%3D/40/28/webp "[South Reading Room. Mural of Thomas Jefferson with his residence, Monticello, in the background, by Ezra Winter. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]")
![[Northeast Pavilion. Mural in Ceiling dome. Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.]](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn18/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMTEvMjIvbm9ydGhlYXN0LXBhdmlsaW9uLW11cmFsLWluLWNlaWxpbmctZG9tZS1saWJyYXJ5LW9mLWNvbmdyZXNzLXRob21hcy1qZWZmZXJzb24tZGEwMjQyLTY0MC5qcGc%3D/40/31/webp "[Northeast Pavilion. Mural in Ceiling dome. Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.]")
[North Reading Room, east wall. Detail of mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.]
Summary
Photograph shows left half of the mural on the east wall. According to the inscription the figures are (left to right): "The Merchant, with his Flemish beaver hat and forked beard; the Friar; the Monk; the Franklin; the Wife of Bath; the Parson and his brother the Ploughman, riding side by side" (Source: On These Walls by John Y. Cole. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1995, p. 80).
Forms part of the Library of Congress Series in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive.
In 2015, documentary photographer Carol Highsmith received a letter from Getty Images accusing her of copyright infringement for featuring one of her own photographs on her own website. It demanded payment of $120. This was how Highsmith came to learn that stock photo agencies Getty and Alamy had been sending similar threat letters and charging fees to users of her images, which she had donated to the Library of Congress for use by the general public at no charge. In 2016, Highsmith has filed a $1 billion copyright infringement suit against both Alamy and Getty stating “gross misuse” of 18,755 of her photographs. “The defendants [Getty Images] have apparently misappropriated Ms. Highsmith’s generous gift to the American people,” the complaint reads. “[They] are not only unlawfully charging licensing fees … but are falsely and fraudulently holding themselves out as the exclusive copyright owner.” According to the lawsuit, Getty and Alamy, on their websites, have been selling licenses for thousands of Highsmith’s photographs, many without her name attached to them and stamped with “false watermarks.” (more: http://hyperallergic.com/314079/photographer-files-1-billion-suit-against-getty-for-licensing-her-public-domain-images/)
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