diff --git a/crates/pptx/src/read/chart.rs b/crates/pptx/src/read/chart.rs
index 358f88ff5..3f63709b1 100644
--- a/crates/pptx/src/read/chart.rs
+++ b/crates/pptx/src/read/chart.rs
@@ -300,8 +300,11 @@ fn read_series(s: &El, g: &El, group: (ChartType, bool, Option<bool>), categorie
         secondary_axis: secondary,
         ..Default::default()
     };
+    // `<c:dLbls><c:delete val="1"/>` hides every label of the series, whatever the group says.
+    if s.path(&["dLbls", "delete"]).map(|v| v.bool("val").unwrap_or(true)) == Some(true) {
+        ser.data_labels = Some(false);
     // `<c:showVal/>` without a val attribute means true, as in the schema's default.
-    if let Some(d) = s.child("dLbls").and_then(|d| d.child("showVal")).map(|v| v.bool("val").unwrap_or(true)) {
+    } else if let Some(d) = s.child("dLbls").and_then(|d| d.child("showVal")).map(|v| v.bool("val").unwrap_or(true)) {
         ser.data_labels = Some(d);
     } else if let Some(false) = group_labels {
         // The group asks for no labels and the series does not say otherwise.
diff --git a/crates/pptx/tests/autocraft_regression_1977.rs b/crates/pptx/tests/autocraft_regression_1977.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6bd2a1dac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/pptx/tests/autocraft_regression_1977.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+//! A series-level `c:dLbls/c:delete val="1"` hides that series' labels although the
+//! chart-wide `showVal` is on (#1977).
+
+use std::io::{Cursor, Read, Write};
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+use deckcraft_geom::Xfrm;
+use deckcraft_model::chart::{Chart, ChartType};
+use deckcraft_model::{LayoutType, Presentation, Shape, ShapeId, ShapeKind, defaults};
+
+fn bar_chart_pptx() -> Vec<u8> {
+    let mut p = defaults::new_presentation(None);
+    p.slides.clear();
+    let layout = defaults::layout_of_kind(&p, LayoutType::Blank).unwrap_or_default();
+    let mut slide = defaults::new_slide(&mut p, layout).expect("slide");
+    let mut shape =
+        Shape { id: ShapeId(p.alloc_id().expect("id")), name: "Bars".into(), xfrm: Some(Xfrm::new(40.0, 40.0, 400.0, 300.0)), ..Default::default() };
+    let mut chart = Chart::sample(ChartType::Column);
+    chart.data_labels = false;
+    for s in &mut chart.series {
+        s.data_labels = None;
+    }
+    shape.kind = ShapeKind::Chart(Box::new(chart));
+    slide.shapes.push(shape);
+    p.slides.push(Arc::new(slide));
+    deckcraft_pptx::export(&p).expect("export")
+}
+
+fn reimport(bytes: &[u8], f: impl Fn(&str) -> String) -> Presentation {
+    let mut zip = zip::ZipArchive::new(Cursor::new(bytes)).expect("zip");
+    let mut out = zip::ZipWriter::new(Cursor::new(Vec::new()));
+    let opts = zip::write::SimpleFileOptions::default();
+    for i in 0..zip.len() {
+        let mut entry = zip.by_index(i).expect("entry");
+        let name = entry.name().to_string();
+        let mut data = vec![];
+        entry.read_to_end(&mut data).expect("read");
+        if name.starts_with("ppt/charts/chart") && name.ends_with(".xml") && !name.contains("_rels") {
+            let xml = String::from_utf8(data).expect("chart xml");
+            data = f(&xml).into_bytes();
+        }
+        out.start_file(&name, opts).expect("start");
+        out.write_all(&data).expect("write");
+    }
+    let patched = out.finish().expect("finish").into_inner();
+    deckcraft_pptx::import(&patched).expect("import")
+}
+
+fn chart_of(p: &Presentation) -> &Chart {
+    let s = p.slides.first().expect("slide");
+    for sh in &s.shapes {
+        if let ShapeKind::Chart(c) = &sh.kind {
+            return c;
+        }
+    }
+    panic!("no chart in the deck");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn series_dlbls_delete_hides_that_series_labels() {
+    let p = reimport(&bar_chart_pptx(), |xml| {
+        xml.replacen("<c:cat>", r#"<c:dLbls><c:delete val="1"/></c:dLbls><c:cat>"#, 1).replacen(
+            "<c:gapWidth",
+            r#"<c:dLbls><c:showVal val="1"/></c:dLbls><c:gapWidth"#,
+            1,
+        )
+    });
+    let c = chart_of(&p);
+    assert!(c.data_labels, "the group-level showVal turns labels on");
+    assert_eq!(c.series[0].data_labels, Some(false), "the deleted series has no labels");
+    assert!(!c.series_data_labels(&c.series[0]), "so its labels are not drawn");
+    assert!(c.series_data_labels(&c.series[1]), "the next series shows the chart-wide labels");
+}