Found 52 collections.

The Slavery collection, compiled by staff of the Schomburg Center, consists primarily of photomechanical reproductions of illustrations, paintings, photographs, documents, artifacts and printed texts, relating to the enslavement of persons of African descent in the United States from the early 1800s to the mid-1860s. less

Club Cubano Inter-Americano, Inc. was established in 1945 by Cuban residents in New York City who saw the need for a cultural and social club for Cubans and other Latinos living there. The club started during the 1945 centennial birthday celebration for Cuban revolutionary leader Antonio Maceo. By the following year, the club was fully organized and had a group of elected officials. The club, which is open to all regardless of race, gender, creed, political affiliation or religion, celebrates Cuban culture and history through various programs and events. In 1995, the Bronx-based club celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Club Cubano Inter-Americano Photograph Collection depicts the organization's activities from the mid-1940s to the mid-1970s. Documentation of activities for 1945 (the year of the club's origin) and the late 1970s to the 1990s is limited. The collection consists mainly of formal and candid group portraits, documenting the installation of officers, award presentations, banquets and receptions, coronation balls, musical events and parades. Included are some exterior and interior views of the club's facilities on Prospect Avenue in the Bronx, New York. Also included are publicity photos of Cuban musicians who may have visited or appeared at the club. less

Ossie Davis (1917-2005) and Ruby Dee (1922-2014) were American actors, writers, and activists whose careers spanned the mediums of theater, film, television, radio, and print. The Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee photographs, dating from the 1940s to 2012, chronicle the couple's performing roles, as well as their public life as activists and relationships with colleagues in the arts. less

Tom Feelings (1933-2003) was an American children's book illustrator and author, cartoonist, teacher, and activist who sought to educate people of color through his artwork, books, and lectures. The Tom Feelings photographs largely chronicle Feelings' professional projects and formal events he attended during the 1990s and early 2000s. The collection also features many photographs of his mother's family from the 1910s. less

The National Youth Administration (NYA) was a government sponsored youth training and employment program from 1935 to 1943. The collection consists of images of primarily African American youths engaged in NYA activities including employment and training programs, meetings, and parades. The collection dates from 1935 to 1943 with the bulk of the images from 1942-1943 when the organization was placed under the War Manpower Commission. Other images include NYA's youth activities under the auspices of the Works Projects Administration (1935-1939) and the Federal Security Agency (1939-1942). Images that document the NYA administration are very limited. less

Jayne Cortez (1934-2012) was a poet, performance artist, activist, small press publisher, and teacher. A prominent figure of the Black Arts Movement, Cortez was known for performing her poetry accompanied by jazz music. The photographs in this collection depict Cortez's childhood and family life, aspects of her creative work as a spoken word poet, and some of her academic activities. less

Ernestine McClendon was an actress and comedian who was best known as the first Black theatrical agent in New York City. She started her agency, McClendon Enterprises, after a one-woman 1960 letter writing campaign to acting agencies and product manufacturers, compelling them to use Black actors and actresses in commercials. McClendon's collection showcases her performances on stage, her career as an agent, and her social life with partner George Wiltshire via professional headshots, contact sheets, resumes, newspaper clippings, programs, and theatre production photographs. less

John Storm Roberts (1936-2009) was a British-born, American-based writer, record producer and distributor, and ethnomusicologist whose work explored the influences of African and Latin American music on that of the United States. His photographs date from the 1950s to 1996, and primarily consist of promotional portraits of musicians that he gathered for research. less

The Reveille Club of New York is a Manhattan-based organization for Black war veterans that was founded in 1932. The Reveille Club of New York photographs, dating from 1917 to 1999 (bulk dates 1950 to 1999), document the Club's annual dinners and other formal events with prints, color slides, contact sheets, and negatives. The collection also contains portraits of Club members. less

The Wadleigh High School photographs depict the students, teachers, and alumni of the New York City school. Originally an all-girls school, it reopened in 1956 as a co-educational school to a majority Black student body after white flight from Harlem. The photographs document the growth of Harlem as a Black community and youth fashion from the 1960s through the 1980s. less

Dr. June Jackson Christmas was an American psychiatrist and served as New York City's Commissioner of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services. These photographs document key moments in her professional and personal life from 1941 through 2005. The majority of the material is photographic prints, as well as some negatives, and related ephemera. less

Rosa Guy (1922-2012) was a Trinidadian American award-winning author and an active member of the Harlem community. The Rosa Guy photographs date from the 1920s to 2000s and consist of portraits of Guy and her family and friends, professional events, personal gatherings, and candid pictures from Guy's travels. The collection holds mostly photographic prints, as well as some negatives, slides, ephemera, expired passports, photograph albums, and a scrapbook. less

Hollis Lynch (born 1935) is a Tobagonian scholar of African history and professor emeritus at Columbia University. Lynch's photographs, dating from 1945 to the 2000s, chronicle his personal and professional life with images of his family and friends; images of Columbia University events; portraits; and prints gathered by Lynch for research. less

Alexis De Veaux (born 1948) is a writer, poet, and playwright. Her photographs, which date from 1946 to 2020, reflect her personal life and professional career. The Alexis De Veaux photographs includes studio portraits of De Veaux and others, formal documentation of performances and events, candid snapshots, travel pictures, and images De Veaux used for research purposes. less

The St. Philip's Church is an Episcopal Christian church that was established in Harlem, New York in 1819. The St. Philip's Church photographs, which dates from 1908 to 2009 (bulk dates 1940s-1980s), holds over 1,100 photographs. Images in the collection depict clergy, church officials and members of the congregation; routine church services; special events; and community engagement. less

Barbara Mae Watson (1918-1983) was a lawyer, United States diplomat, and the first female and the first Black Assistant Secretary of State, serving under Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. Watson also co-founded one of the first Black modeling agencies in 1946, served as Executive Director of the New York City Commission to the United Nations from 1964 to 1966, and was Ambassador to Malaysia from 1980 to 1981. Watson's photographs, dated from 1921 to 1983, depict her professional and personal life through prints, negatives, and illustrations. less

Gertrude Hadley Jeannette (1914-2018) was a Black actor, playwright, director, and theatre producer. She began writing plays in 1950 and founded the Harlem-based HADLEY Players company in 1979. The collection dates from 1928 to 2018, and depicts her personal life and professional work through prints and negatives. less

Everett Redd (1924-2006) was a Black motorcycle enthusiast and member of the Chosen Few Motorcycle Club. The photographs in this collection contain images of Redd's life, particularly his membership in motorcycle clubs in Los Angeles, California. Materials include prints, negatives, and scrapbooks that span from approximately the 1940s through the 1990s, and hold pictures of events and gatherings with Redd's family as well as other bikers. less

Benjamin F. McLaurin (1906-1989) was a Black labor leader and civic worker who held leadership positions within the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) during the 1920s and 1930s. He worked with A. Philip Randolph throughout the Civil Rights Movement, and later advocated for job equality and increased educational opportunities for minority communities while serving on New York City board committees. The collection, dated from the 1930s to 1983, showcases McLaurin's lifelong labor, civic, and political work through prints, slides, and negatives. less

Marion and Clarissa Cumbo were a Black married couple based in New York City who worked as musicians and arts fundraisers. The collection, dated from the 1890s to the 1980s, contains photographs depicting the Cumbos' music careers, their work with Symphony of the New World and Triad Productions, and their families and friends. less

Stanley Crouch (1945-2020) was a Black American music and cultural critic, syndicated columnist, and biographer. Crouch's photographs date from 1928 to 2012 (bulk dates 1940s-2012) and contain prints, negatives, and slides that primarily depict his professional and personal life during the 1990s and 2000s. Also included are photographs of jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker that Crouch used for his book, Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker. less

Elizabeth Murphy Oliver was a Black American journalist and author best known for her work with the Baltimore-based newspaper, The Afro-American. The Elizabeth Murphy Oliver photographs date from 1903 to 1997 and cover Oliver's career at The Afro-American, her children's book Black Mother Goose, and her time as commissioner of the Maryland Commission on Afro-American History and Culture. The collection is represented through prints, negatives, and contact sheets. less

The Maya Angelou photographs, dating from the 1920s to 2009, document the life and legacy of Maya Angelou (1928-2014), poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, dancer, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. The collection mostly celebrates her literary accomplishments. There are some photographs that date to her childhood in rural Stamps, Arkansas. less

Bernard F. Ashe (1936-2023) was an African American labor lawyer who served as General Counsel to New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), a federation of labor unions, for twenty-five years. Ashe's photographs, dating from the 1930s to 2006, chronicle his attendance at conferences and other formal events with NYSUT and legal organizations, as well as his family and personal life. The collection also holds portraits of Ashe. less

The Modern School was a private elementary school founded by Mildred Johnson (1914-2007) that operated from 1934 to 2007. The school, located in Harlem, offered Black students an independent, progressive education. The collection includes images of both the Modern School and Camp Dunroven. less

Cecil Layne (1911-1990) was a professional photographer based in Harlem. The Cecil Layne photographs, which primarily date from 1948 to 1960, reflect Layne's work as a commercial photographer and freelance photojournalist. The majority of the collection consists of photographic negatives, while a few enlargement prints, proof prints, contact sheets and related documents are also included. Photographs in the collection frequently depict prominent community members; celebrities; everyday street scenes; nightlife; Harlem businesses; and residential interiors. less

Jewel Plummer Cobb (1924-2017) was a Black scientist, educator, and advocate for Black women entering the scientific field. The collection holds prints, slides, negatives, and scrapbooks that illustrate her professional life, family, and friends. Images date from the 1890s to the 2010s, documenting Cobb's family history, research, educational career, and travel. less