Collections in Photographs and Prints Division. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

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

The Association of Black Women in Higher Education (ABWHE) is an organization dedicated to promoting the intellectual growth and educational development of Black women in higher education. The photographs, dated 1986 to 1994, document the conferences held by the ABWHE. less

Harry Belafonte (1927-) is a Jamaican-American musician, actor, and activist best known for popularizing calypso music with international audiences, and his involvement in the American Civil Rights movement. His photographs, dating from 1925 to the 2010s, contain photographic prints, contact sheets, negatives, and slides that document his career as a singer, actor, and entertainer; advocacy for political and humanitarian causes; awards and honors; personal life with family and friends; relationships with colleagues in the arts; and international and domestic travels. 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

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

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

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

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

The Gordon Davis photographs (1994-2005) consists of color photographs relating to Davis' professional and personal life, most notably the 2005 staging of the art installation "The Gates" in Central Park. The collection also features photographs of Davis with President Barack Obama at the White House, and the postage stamp that was released to commemorate Davis' father, the anthropologist Dr. W. Allison Davis. 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

Fab 5 Freddy is an African American director, TV host, graffiti artist, and a key personality in the history of hip-hop culture. The Fab 5 Freddy photographs highlight both his professional and personal lives, including images taken behind-the-scenes at musical video shoots and on the set of Yo! MTV Raps, album artwork and photoshoots, as well as candid images of figures within the hip hop world. 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

Bill Gunn (1934-1989) was a Black writer, actor, and director. The Bill Gunn photographs collection primarily contains pictures of his family, from the 1880s through 1989, as well as some photos related to his career. Bill Gunn's mother, Louise Gunn, compiled most of the photographs in the collection, which depict her career, friends, family, and community engagement. less

Melville J. Herskovits, anthropologist and Africanist, was the founder of the first African Studies Program in the United States established at Northwestern University in 1948. Frances S. Herskovits, who taught African Literature, was also a close collaborator of her husband's. She accompanied Melville on many of his field trips and obtained data on the women, art, and religion of various cultures. The Melville J. and Frances S. Herskovits Photograph Collection consists of some personal photographs and documentation of Melville's professional activities. Documentation of Frances' anthropological career is combined with Melville's research. less

Collection consists of photographs, photomechanical prints, and negatives, many from news services such as International News Photos, collected by the International Labor Defense (ILD), documenting not only the labor and civil rights causes in which ILD was involved, but also examples worldwide of injustice and oppression occurring, with a few exceptions, during the 1920s through the mid 1940s. 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

Patrick Kelly (1954-1990) was a Black American fashion designer who primarily worked in France. The Patrick Kelly photographs consist of slides, color photographs, negatives, contact sheets, promotional photographs, autographed photographs, and Polaroids, as well as a small amount of non-photographic accompanying material. less

The collection primarily documents people, places and events in Harlem from the early 1930s to the mid-1950s. The collection consists of studio and candid portraits of mainly African American personalities, Harlem residents, and fashion models; views of various social and political events in Harlem; and coverage of sports events and other news stories, representing the Smiths' freelance photography work for the New York Amsterdam News, the New York Age, and other African-American newspapers. Images depicting the personal activities of the Smith brothers are limited. 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

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

The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) Photograph Collection depicts some of the Company's activities from 1967 through 1992. The collection consists of production scenes; individual and group portraits of actors, playwrights, and other theatrical personalities; views of its seasonal company members and productions including publicity scenes and actors in rehearsal and off-stage; views of award ceremonies, cast parties and other theatrical events; and shots of administrative, technical and artistic staff. less

The New York Jazz Museum was founded in 1972 to preserve the history of jazz and to educate the public about jazz. The Museum closed its doors in June 1977 after a series of financial difficulties. The New York Jazz Museum Photograph Collection documents some of the activities of the Museum as well as segments of the history of jazz. The collection includes an extensive portrait collection of jazz artists (195?-197?) and some documentation of the Museum's programs and activities (1972-1977). 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

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

Lawrence Dunbar Reddick (March 3, 1910 – August 2, 1995) was a professor, historian, biographer of Martin Luther King, Jr., and former curator of the New York Public Library's Schomburg Collection. Reddick was a scholar in the field of African American Studies and collected materials related to the Black experience in the military, education, and professional environments. Reddick's collection contains photographs and negatives used in his research, as well as images illustrating his academic career, civil rights advocacy, and personal life. 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