Scopes Trial

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Watson Davis (1896-1967), who became Science Service managing editor in 1923, took photographs when covering the Scopes trial as a reporter. Science Service is a Washington, D.C.-based organization founded in 1921 for the promotion of science writing and information about science in the media.

William Jennings Bryan (seated at left) being interrogated by Clarence Seward Darrow, during the trial of the State of Tennessee vs. John Thomas Scopes, July 20, 1925. That Monday afternoon, because of the extreme heat, Judge Raulston moved court proceedings outdoors. The session was held on a platform that had been erected at the front of the Rhea County Courthouse to accommodate ministers who wanted to preach during the time of the trial. Defense lawyers for Scopes (John R. Neal, Arthur Garfield Hays, and Dudley Field Malone) are visible seated to the extreme right. One of the men at left, with his back to the photographer, appears to be Scopes. The court reporters are seated at the table.

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7091, Box 405, Folder 18

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu