The Lovings: An Intimate Portrait

Fifty years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in their favor, it's hard to believe that Mildred and Richard Loving were once considered outlaws in their home state of Virginia, simply because they were part of a mixed-race marriage. Their struggles are captured here in a series of documentary photographs by Grey Villet, who has contributed several award-winning photo-essays to Life magazine. Barbara Villet, Grey's wife and former Life journalist and editor, has done a masterly job of organizing these fine images and weaving a touching portrait of the Lovings. Richard, a white man, and Mildred, a woman of Native American and African American descent, simply wished to raise their children quietly in the country among friends and family. However, because of Virginia's archaic laws against interracial marriage they were arrested in the middle of the night in July 1958 and prosecuted. The photos document their story, as they asserted their rights against government oppression.