In 2016, New York Times photo editor Darcy Eveleigh stumbled upon dozens of never-before-published images in the archives. Along with colleagues Dana Canedy, Damien Cave, and Rachel L. Swarns, they explored the untold stories behind these photographs, creating the series Unpublished Black History, which was later published by the newspaper.

Unseen expands on this series, featuring 175 photographs and delving into the stories behind them. The collection includes powerful images such as Jesse Jackson leading a rally, Rosa Parks at a courthouse, Aretha Franklin backstage, Ralph Ellison in Manhattan, the firebombed home of Malcolm X, and Harlem life in the 1960s captured by Don Hogan Charles, the first black photographer hired by the Times. The book explores why these photographs remained unpublished and sheds light on the historical context surrounding each image.