Scope and arrangement
The Gertrude Hadley Jeannette photographs, dated from 1928 to 2018, depict her personal life and her various careers as an actor, writer, director, and founder of the HADLEY Players through prints and negatives. The collection is ordered into the following groupings: Personal and Professional, and both are arranged chronologically by topic.
Personal photographs, dated 1928 to 2018, contain images of social events, gatherings, holidays, and birthday celebrations throughout Jeannette's life. Harlem in the 1930s and 1940s is particularly well documented through photographs of motorcycle club outings; Joe Jeannette II during his pugilist career; and Black bars, dance halls, and diners. There are also photographs that depict vacations and day trips to New York City beaches, including Coney Island and the Rockaways.
The Professional photographs showcase Jeannette's trajectory in theatre after joining the American Negro Theatre (ANT), including images of Lost in the Stars (1948), her first appearance on Broadway. Dated 1948 to 2017, the images depict productions performed, written, or directed by Jeannette; the HADLEY Players and other theatre companies; fundraisers; awards; theatre festivals; ANT reunions; and performance showcases. Plays written by Jeannette present in this grouping include The Way Forward (1948-1950), A Bolt from the Blue (1950), and Gladys' Dilemma (1990).