- unitid
-
{"value"=>"29961", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"Sc MG 972", "type"=>"local_call"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1871 - 1951", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1871/1951"}
{"value"=>"1936 - 1951", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1936/1951"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Oscar Micheaux papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"13 boxes, 3 oversize folders", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"3.98 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951) was a prominent African American author of the early 20th century, and more notably the first African American filmmaker. The Oscar Micheaux papers consist of professional correspondence, financial records, handwritten scenarios and typed dialogues for his films, galleys and proofs of published work. Additonally, there are ephemeral items, clippings, prospectuses, and other forms of advertising for his works."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>[Item], Oscar Micheaux papers, Sc MG 972, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951), was a prominent African American author of the early 20th century, and more notably the first African American filmmaker. Micheaux was born in Metropolis, Illinois on January 2, 1884. He was one of thirteen children and the son of Calvin S. and Belle Michaux. Micheaux later added the \"e\" to his name. He lived in Chicago, Illinois; Harlem New York; and finally in Montclair, New Jersey. Micheaux was married three times. His first wife was Orlean McCracken; his second wife was Sarah Rutledge; and his third wife was Alice B. Russell, to whom he was married to until the time of his death. Oscar Micheaux died in 1951 in Charlotte, North Carolina.</p> <p>Before becoming an author, film director and independent producer, Micheaux was briefly a Pullman Porter and a farmer in Gregory County, South Dakota. After some success as a homesteader on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, a three year drought destroyed his crops. The reverse of his success as a farmer followed by what he has referenced as \"peculiar circumstances\" changed the course of his life, and he began writing and publishing.</p> <p>Micheaux's life endeavors and experiences inspired his early works. His first book, <span class=\"title\">The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Homesteader</span> (1913) is recognized as his autobiography and reworked into his most famous novel <span class=\"title\">The Homesteader</span> (1917). Through his Book Supply Company in Harlem, Micheaux self-published many of his novels such as <span class=\"title\">The Wind from Nowhere</span> (1941); <span class=\"title\">The Case of Mrs. Wingate</span> (1944); <span class=\"title\">The Story of Dorothy Stanfield</span> (1946), and <span class=\"title\">The Masquerade</span> (1947).</p> <p>Micheaux's first film, <span class=\"title\">The Homesteader</span>, was released in 1919 and was adapted from his novel of the same name. It was the first film to include an all-black cast. As an independent filmmaker of Micheaux Pictures Corporation, founded in 1918, Micheaux is credited with 44 films between 1919 and 1948, including his first sound film <span class=\"title\">The Exile</span> (1931); <span class=\"title\">Temptation</span> (1935); <span class=\"title\">God's Stepchildren</span> (1938); <span class=\"title\">Lying Lips</span> (1939); <span class=\"title\">The Notorious Elinor Lee</span> (1940), and his final film <span class=\"title\">The Betrayal</span> (1948), which was adapted from his novel, <span class=\"title\">The Wind from Nowhere</span>. Micheaux put a great deal of effort and finances into the making of this film. The premier was held at the historically white Mansfield Theater on Broadway in New York City, which was a success in itself. Micheaux's race films, musicals, comedies, westerns, romances, and gangster films included themes such as African Americans passing for white, interracial marriage, and legal injustices. The roles played by African Americans in his films were a far cry from the stereotypical \"Uncle Toms\" and \"Mammy\" portrayals viewers were used to seeing during the early 20th century. Black actors in Micheaux's films played the roles of doctors, businessman, detectives, and lawyers. However, he did receive criticism for giving lead roles to light-skinned African American actors. Nevertheless, his movies challenged the dominant society and provided a window into black life and the African American perspective on race.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>These papers largely chronicle the last several decades of Oscar Micheaux's professional life as an author and his work as America's first Black filmmaker (1871-1951, bulk dates 1935-1951). The collection primarily consists of business records that include professional correspondence to and from Micheaux Pictures Corporation and his publishing company, Book Supply Company in Harlem of New York City. Correspondence are with film and filmmaking supply houses, theaters, film distributors, public relations firms, and legal documents regarding lawsuits against Micheaux. Noteworthy in the Writings series are materials that document the transformation of the book <span class=\"title\">Wind From Nowhere</span> to the film <span class=\"title\">The Betrayal</span>. Also included are clippings and ephemeral related to some of his works such as the <span class=\"title\">Case of Mrs. Wingate</span>. There is a synopsis for this same title. The Film series includes scenarios and dialogue for films such as <span class=\"title\">God's Stepchildren</span>, <span class=\"title\">Lying Lips</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Notorious Elinor Lee</span>.</p>"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>Papers organized into four series: I. Personal; II. Business Records; III. Writings; and IV. Films</p>"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Purchase, 2018</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Transferred to the Art and Artifacts Division: 4 Posters; stereotype plate and proof for <span class=\"title\">The Masquerade</span>; 11 stamps of various texts.</p> <p>Transferred to the Moving Image and Recorded Sound (MIRS) Division: audio and moving image materials. For more information, please contact the division at schomburgaudiovisual@nypl.org or 212-491-2270.</p> <p>Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: one flat box of lobby cards; photographs; and negatives.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Serena Torres in 2020.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1871
- keydate
-
1871
- date_end
-
1951
- date_inclusive_start
-
1871
- date_inclusive_end
-
1951
- date_bulk_start
-
1936
- date_bulk_end
-
1951
- extent_statement
-
3.98 linear feet (13 boxes, 3 oversize folders)