Baldwin, James, 1924-1987
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 936
29.85 linear feet (81 boxes, 2 oversize folders)
The James Baldwin Papers document Baldwin's career as an African American writer, intellectual, and activist in the United States and abroad. Dating to 1938, this archive of writings and related documents is indispensable to understanding the...
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The James Baldwin Papers document Baldwin's career as an African American writer, intellectual, and activist in the United States and abroad. Dating to 1938, this archive of writings and related documents is indispensable to understanding the significance of Baldwin's career as a writer and an engaged public man of letters. The archive will enable researchers to trace the textual evolution of virtually all of Baldwin's writings. Each of his novels, essays, screen treatments (including the treatment for an unproduced film about Malcolm X) and dramatic adaptations of his novels are present in the form of detailed manuscript notes, heavily reworked manuscript drafts or significant manuscript fragments, and typescript drafts with his often copious manuscript annotations and emendations. The archive contains draft manuscripts and typescripts of his poetry and his important reviews. In addition, there are also personal papers and business records produced by Baldwin and his estate.
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Baldwin, James, 1924-1987
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 934
0.01 linear feet (1 folder)
James Baldwin (1924-1987) was the premiere African American writer and public intellectual of the post-War period. He authored six novels, three plays, dozens of short stories, a book-length work of non-fiction, a children's book, scores of essays...
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James Baldwin (1924-1987) was the premiere African American writer and public intellectual of the post-War period. He authored six novels, three plays, dozens of short stories, a book-length work of non-fiction, a children's book, scores of essays and reviews, and a book of poems. Baldwin won renown in the U.S. and internationally for his writing, his leadership in the civil rights movement, and for championing human rights around the world. His essays and reviews, especially, are remarkable not just for their mastery of literary technique - their marriage of music and sharp analysis - but for the breadth of the African American experience which they interpret, dramatize, honor, and lament. These prose masterpieces are unique in the history of American literature for the depth, subtlety, and daring with which they explore the psycho-political causes and consequences of racism and other ideologies of political exploitation. His best known works include
Go Tell It on the Mountain(1953),
Notes of a Native Son(1955),
Giovanni's Room(1956),
The Fire Next Time(1963), and
If Beale Street Could Talk(1974). "Five Years" is an 18-page typescript of sixteen unpublished poems (the last two being carbons) written by Baldwin between 1942 and 1948 prior to the publication of his first novel,
Go Tell It on the Mountain. The poems, which are dated, explore themes of love, fear and mortality, lifelong preoccupations of the author best known for his insightful essays and probing fiction.
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Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 43
38.51 linear feet (97 boxes, 6 volumes, 1 oversize folder)
This collection consists of typescripts of novels, biographies, essays, and poems on historical, sociological, and educational issues, and conference papers. Some of the typescripts appear as final drafts, others as working drafts with author's...
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This collection consists of typescripts of novels, biographies, essays, and poems on historical, sociological, and educational issues, and conference papers. Some of the typescripts appear as final drafts, others as working drafts with author's annotations and corrections. Manuscripts included are "A Talk to Teachers: The Negro Child, His Self Image" by James Baldwin; "Slavery and Capitalism" by Eric Williams; "Life in a Haitian Valley" by Melville J. Herskovits; "American Dilemma" by Gunnar Myrdal; and poems by Waring Cuney, among others. Other authors represented are Arna Bontemps, Horace Mann Bond, Lloyd Brown, Helen Buckler, Henrietta Buckmaster, John H. Clark, Benjamin Davis, Ralph Ellison, Arthur Huff Fauset, and E. Franklin Frazier. Conference material includes Melville J. Herskovits and the Future of Africana Studies (Schomburg Center, May 1988); Marcus Garvey Centennial Conference (Jamaica, November 1987); and the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (Nigeria, 1977).
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Angelou, Maya
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 830
200.83 linear feet (408 boxes)
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was one of the most renowned and celebrated voices in American literature. The Maya Angelou papers consist of original manuscripts, computer generated typescripts, galleys, and proofs of published work as well as...
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Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was one of the most renowned and celebrated voices in American literature. The Maya Angelou papers consist of original manuscripts, computer generated typescripts, galleys, and proofs of published work as well as manuscripts for unpublished work and dozens of poems. Additionally, there is personal and professional correspondence, teaching files, printed matter, and materials from public and academic appearances and engagements.
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Hansberry, Lorraine, 1930-1965
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 680
52.0 linear feet (109 boxes)
The Lorraine Hansberry Papers document Lorraine Hansberry's life as an award-winning playwright and activist, and chronicles her activities during the Civil Rights Movement. Virtually all of Hansberry's writings, autobiographical materials,...
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The Lorraine Hansberry Papers document Lorraine Hansberry's life as an award-winning playwright and activist, and chronicles her activities during the Civil Rights Movement. Virtually all of Hansberry's writings, autobiographical materials, journals, diaries, personal and professional correspondence are included here, as well as related materials generated by her late husband, Robert Nemiroff, and his third wife, Jewell Gresham-Nemiroff, as the executors of Hansberry's state. Significant correspondents include Daisy Bates, Louis Burnham, Julian Mayfield, Robert Nemiroff, and William Worthy.
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Baker, Ella, 1903-1986
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 630
5.58 linear feet (14 boxes)
The Ella Baker papers provide a snapshot of Baker's life as an activist and visionary for a variety of progressive organizations in the United States, from the 1930s through the 1980s. Documented here are the organizations and individuals that...
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The Ella Baker papers provide a snapshot of Baker's life as an activist and visionary for a variety of progressive organizations in the United States, from the 1930s through the 1980s. Documented here are the organizations and individuals that were central to Baker's network such as George Schulyer, The Young Women's Christian Association, In Friendship, A. Phillip Randolph, and Bayard Rustin. The collection, however, does not document her personal life nor does it fully capture her philosophy or political ideas.
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Feder, Abe H.
Billy Rose Theatre Division | *T-Vim 2017-047
30.93 linear feet (80 containers)
Abe Feder (1909-1997) was an American lighting designer for theater, interior spaces, urban environments, and architecture. The Springer Opera House collection of Abe Feder lighting designs date from 1932 to 2004 and focus on the theatrical...
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Abe Feder (1909-1997) was an American lighting designer for theater, interior spaces, urban environments, and architecture. The Springer Opera House collection of Abe Feder lighting designs date from 1932 to 2004 and focus on the theatrical portion of Feder's career.
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Weaver, Helen, 1931-
Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature | Berg Coll MSS 34292
5.0 linear feet (12 boxes)
Helen Weaver (1931-2021) was a literary translator, author, and astrologer. The Helen Weaver papers include research files, correspondence, and manuscripts related to the publication of her book
The Awakener: A Memoir of...
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Helen Weaver (1931-2021) was a literary translator, author, and astrologer. The Helen Weaver papers include research files, correspondence, and manuscripts related to the publication of her book
The Awakener: A Memoir of Kerouac and the Fifties. The book describes Weaver's brief romantic relationship with Jack Kerouac, and friendships with Allen Ginsberg and Lenny Bruce.
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Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 462
0.63 linear feet (2 boxes)
The Riverton was a seven-building complex built by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1947, one of four complexes they built during the 1940s. The complex was bounded by 135th and 138th Streets, Fifth Avenue, and Harlem River Drive. The...
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The Riverton was a seven-building complex built by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1947, one of four complexes they built during the 1940s. The complex was bounded by 135th and 138th Streets, Fifth Avenue, and Harlem River Drive. The Riverton Houses collection consists of a variety of material but does not constitute records of the Riverton. These files came from the Administration offices at 2156 Madison Avenue. Included is a file for Clifford L. Alexander, Sr., the first resident manager (1947-1964) of the complex. There are also miscellaneous files dealing with the management of the Riverton, including the position description for the resident manager; descriptive information regarding the Riverton; and letters regarding street lights, parking signs, and traffic conditions affecting the residents of the Riverton.
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Wright, Richard, 1908-1960
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc Micro R-1234
1 linear foot; 2 microfilm reels
Prominent author. Wright wrote several novels, short stories, and essays dealing with the oppression of black people in the United States and their struggle for freedom. Corrected manuscripts of Wright's works NATIVE SON, THE LONG DREAM, SAVAGE...
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Prominent author. Wright wrote several novels, short stories, and essays dealing with the oppression of black people in the United States and their struggle for freedom. Corrected manuscripts of Wright's works NATIVE SON, THE LONG DREAM, SAVAGE HOLIDAY, and other writings. Also research material gathered by Constance Webb, author of RICHARD WRIGHT: A BIOGRAPHY (G.P. Putnam, 1968). Material consists of copies of correspondence between Wright and friends, family members, and business associates, 1939-1959; and typescripts of Wright's articles and speeches, transcripts of interviews conducted by Webb with Ralph Ellison and Ellen Wright, and reaction to Webb's drafts of the biography and a corrected typescript of the biography.
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Troupe, Quincy
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 635
83.51 linear feet (193 boxes, 5 volumes, 3 tubes). 3.51 gigabytes (575 computer files)
Quincy Troupe (born 1939) is a poet, author, and editor, perhaps best known for co-writing
Miles: The Autobiography (1989) with the influential jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. His father, Quincy Trouppe, Sr., was an all-star...
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Quincy Troupe (born 1939) is a poet, author, and editor, perhaps best known for co-writing
Miles: The Autobiography (1989) with the influential jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. His father, Quincy Trouppe, Sr., was an all-star catcher in Negro league baseball. The Quincy Troupe papers, dating from 1915 to 2008, mainly document Troupe's career from the mid-1970s to 2008. They also hold the scrapbooks of Quincy Trouppe, Sr.
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McNeil, Claudia
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 564
.92 linear feet (3 boxes)
The Claudia McNeil Scrapbooks, donated by The Actors' Fund of America after McNeil's death, were created by the late performer during the course of her career and consist of twelve volumes spanning the years 1938 to 1981. The contents include...
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The Claudia McNeil Scrapbooks, donated by The Actors' Fund of America after McNeil's death, were created by the late performer during the course of her career and consist of twelve volumes spanning the years 1938 to 1981. The contents include newspaper and magazine feature articles, reviews, advertisements, programs, poems, telegrams, letters, photographs, greeting cards, and handwritten notes arranged chronologically by her engagements or performances, with the predominate amount of material documenting her arrival at the pinnacle of her career in A Raisin in the Sun.
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Bricktop, 1894-1984
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 247
7 linear feet
Internationally known cabaret personality Bricktop, was born Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith in Alderson, West Virginia in 1894. Nicknamed "Bricktop" for her red hair, she began her career as an entertainer at the age of 16,...
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Internationally known cabaret personality Bricktop, was born Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith in Alderson, West Virginia in 1894. Nicknamed "Bricktop" for her red hair, she began her career as an entertainer at the age of 16, performing on the vaudeville circuit with Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles in McCabe's Georgia Troubadours minstrel show, then later with the Oma Crosby Trio, and the Panama Trio with Florence Mills and Cora Green. She also performed in saloons in Chicago such as the Roy Jones' saloon and Cabaret de Champion, also known as Café Champ owned by boxer Jack Johnson, and in Harlem at Barron's Exclusive Club and Connie's Inn. Bricktop went on to own her own nightclubs in Paris (1920s and 30s), Mexico City (1940s), and Rome (1950s). Towards the end of her career she made appearances on radio broadcasts, performed at various establishments such as The Club Tango in Chicago, and introduced Josephine Baker for her "come-back" engagement at Carnegie Hall in 1973. She co-authored "Bricktop" (1983), her autobiography, with James Haskins. The Ada "Bricktop" Smith DuConge Papers, 1920s-1984, primarily document the latter part of Bricktop's life and career. The Papers consist of letters and cards, daily planners and address books, notes on religious thoughts and other subjects, financial papers, sheet music, and news clippings. The diaries range from the 1920s to 1983 and in some instances serve as daily planners and account books. The volumes hold information pertaining to both her personal and professional life. The earliest letters date from the 1950s, after she moved to Rome. Primarily they are from people Bricktop worked with during her career including Jack Jordan, James Haskins, Hugh Shannon, David Hanna, and Earl Blackwell. Additionally, there are promotional materials that relate to her career as an entertainer, e.g. fliers, programs; invitations, among them two from Bricktop's in Paris in 1937; letters from broadcasting agencies; magazines noting her appearance dates; and news clippings that include featured stories about Bricktop in arts, entertainment and society columns.
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Black, Ivan, -1979
Music Division | JPB 06-20
22.8 linear feet (55 boxes)
The Ivan Black Papers document Black’s work as a publicity agent on behalf of nightclubs, musicians and entertainers in New York from the 1940s to the 1970s. They include press releases, clippings, correspondence, photographs, promotional material...
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The Ivan Black Papers document Black’s work as a publicity agent on behalf of nightclubs, musicians and entertainers in New York from the 1940s to the 1970s. They include press releases, clippings, correspondence, photographs, promotional material and published music scores.
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Cole, Nat King, 1919-1965
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 695
28.75 linear feet (134 boxes)
This collection consists of personal and professional material of Nat King Cole, such as correspondence, programs, and advertisements. Additionally, there is printed matter, such as clippings and articles; scrapbooks; and scores, which is the...
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This collection consists of personal and professional material of Nat King Cole, such as correspondence, programs, and advertisements. Additionally, there is printed matter, such as clippings and articles; scrapbooks; and scores, which is the largest series. Finally, there is material related to Cole's wife, Maria Cole, such as scrapbooks, biographical material, and drafts for a book.
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Childress, Alice
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 649
The Alice Childress papers document Alice Childress's career as a writer and actress, and her activities in the theatre for five decades in New York City. The Personal Papers series includes correspondence, an oral history conducted by Ann...
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The Alice Childress papers document Alice Childress's career as a writer and actress, and her activities in the theatre for five decades in New York City. The Personal Papers series includes correspondence, an oral history conducted by Ann Shockley, Childress's FBI file, diaries, calendars, interviews, educational materials, family letters, files for her two husbands, and biographical information about Childress. Significant correspondents include writers Kay Bourne, Harold (Hal) Courlander and Susan Koppleman.
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Bearden, Romare, 1911-1988
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 74
.3 linear feet (1/2 box)
Incoming letters of a general nature, 1933-1972; an undated sketchbook; writings and notes; file on Alvin Hollingworth, artist/teacher; and a program.
Yaddo (Artist's colony).
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 4795
219.6 linear feet (579 boxes, 50 volumes, 1 oversized folder, 4 tubes, 1 folder); 2 cassettes
Yaddo is an artists' community located in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Yaddo Records date from 1835-1997 and contain the administrative records of The Corporation of Yaddo, as well as the institutional records of Yaddo from 1926, the year Yaddo...
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Yaddo is an artists' community located in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Yaddo Records date from 1835-1997 and contain the administrative records of The Corporation of Yaddo, as well as the institutional records of Yaddo from 1926, the year Yaddo began accepting guests. Notable guests have included Newton Arvin, John Cheever, Aaron Copland, Malcom Cowley, Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote, Carson McCullers, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Katherine Anne Porter, and Clyfford Still. The Yaddo Records also include the personal papers of Yaddo's principal founders, Spencer and Katrina Trask, and George Foster Peabody.
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Johnson, Helen A.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 599
16.79 linear feet (46 boxes)
The Helen Armstead-Johnson miscellaneous theater collections (HAJMTC) were formed by over two hundred file-folder level collections (one-three file folders per personality or event). The collections contain information dating from the...
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The Helen Armstead-Johnson miscellaneous theater collections (HAJMTC) were formed by over two hundred file-folder level collections (one-three file folders per personality or event). The collections contain information dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth century, and they document early dramatic actors, minstrel shows, vaudeville, musical revues, Broadway productions, and protest dramas, among others. In addition to actors, playwrights, singers, musicians, and dancers and the productions in which they appeared, there are collections for poets and visual artists.
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Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Photographs and Prints Division. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture | Sc Photo Schomburg Center Collection
6.25 linear feet (25 boxes)
The Schomburg Center photograph collection documents the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from its beginnings in 1925 to the early 2000s, through depictions of events, exhibitions, and notable individuals.
New Yorker Magazine, Inc
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 2236
1058.76 linear feet (2566 boxes; 7 microfilm reels; 18 sound recordings)
Weekly magazine founded in New York City in 1925 by Harold W. Ross, Jane Grant, Alexander Woollcott and Raoul Fleischman. The records consist of correspondence, interoffice memoranda, edited and corrected manuscripts and typescripts, drawings,...
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Weekly magazine founded in New York City in 1925 by Harold W. Ross, Jane Grant, Alexander Woollcott and Raoul Fleischman. The records consist of correspondence, interoffice memoranda, edited and corrected manuscripts and typescripts, drawings, statistical reports, lists of story and art ideas, photographs, and sound recordings and printed materials created during the foundation and day-to-day operations of the magazine from 1924-1984. This material documents the production of every issue of the magazine and provides insight on the careers of its staff and contributors.
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X, Malcolm, 1925-1965
Photographs and Prints Division. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture | Sc Photo The Malcolm X Collection
6.12 linear feet (23 boxes). 2168 photographic prints : gelatin silver, b&w ; 26 x 21 cm. and smaller. 127 photographic prints : color ; 13 x 18 cm. and smaller. 799 photographic slides : color ; 5 x 5 cm.. 692 photographs : negative
Chronology originally published in finding aid for the Malcolm X Collection: Papers, by Andre Elizee et al., 2004 The collection (1950s to mid-1960s) consists of personal photographs of Malcolm X and family, documents many of Malcolm X's...
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Chronology originally published in finding aid for the Malcolm X Collection: Papers, by Andre Elizee et al., 2004 The collection (1950s to mid-1960s) consists of personal photographs of Malcolm X and family, documents many of Malcolm X's activities with the Nation of Islam, and also documents some of the activities of the Nation of Islam, from the 1950s to the mid-1960s. Because of Malcolm X's multiple roles as the national spokesman for the Nation of Islam and minister of several mosques, mainly Muhammad's Mosque No. 7 (Harlem, New York), he is depicted throughout all three series. The collection does not document Malcolm X's activities after he left the Nation of Islam.
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Frankel, Gene, approximately 1920-2005
Billy Rose Theatre Division | *T-Mss 2005-013
15.66 linear feet (39 boxes)
Gene Frankel (approximately 1920-2005) was an Obie Award-winning theater director, actor, and teacher. He is best known for his significant contributions to Off-Broadway theater. The Gene Frankel papers (1941-2004) document Frankel's career as an...
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Gene Frankel (approximately 1920-2005) was an Obie Award-winning theater director, actor, and teacher. He is best known for his significant contributions to Off-Broadway theater. The Gene Frankel papers (1941-2004) document Frankel's career as an Off-Broadway director and teacher. The collection gives a comprehensive account of Frankel's professional endeavors, and holds biographical material, photographs, programs, production files, scripts, and teaching material.
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Davis, Ossie
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 305
73.67 linear feet (179 boxes)
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee were African American actors, directors, writers, and activists whose careers spanned the mediums of theatre, television, radio, film, and print. Their papers date from 1932 to 2015, and chronicle the couple's artistic...
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Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee were African American actors, directors, writers, and activists whose careers spanned the mediums of theatre, television, radio, film, and print. Their papers date from 1932 to 2015, and chronicle the couple's artistic careers as performers and authors, as well as their work as civil rights activists. The collection consists of materials generated by Davis and Dee over a lifetime of performing arts work and activism, and in their personal lives together.
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New York World's Fair 1939 and 1940 Incorporated
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 2233
1203.48 linear feet (2508 boxes, 42 volumes; 12 sound recordings)
The New York World's Fair of 1939 and 1940, was held in Flushing Meadows in the Borough of Queens. The non-profit Fair corporation was formed in 1935 under the guidance of business and civic leaders, and financed through federal, state, municipal...
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The New York World's Fair of 1939 and 1940, was held in Flushing Meadows in the Borough of Queens. The non-profit Fair corporation was formed in 1935 under the guidance of business and civic leaders, and financed through federal, state, municipal and private funds. The Fair commemorated the 150th anniversary of Washington's inauguration in New York City and took "Building the World of Tomorrow" as its central theme. Participants included close to 60 nations, 33 states and U.S. territories, and over a thousand exhibitors, among them some of the largest corporations in the United States. The records of the New York World's Fair 1939-1940 Incorporated present a comprehensive view of all aspects of the Fair including construction, maintenance and demolition of Fair facilities; planning and development; architecture and landscaping; displays and exhibits; government participation; publicity and public relations; amusements, entertainment and concessions; legal and financial affairs; the import and export of goods; labor relations; and public safety and welfare. In addition to correspondence and memoranda, the collection consists of reports, minutes, financial and legal records, architectural plans, design drawings, sound recordings, brochures, leaflets, press releases and other promotional materials, notably over 12,000 photographs of the Fair, its exhibits and visitors.
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Belafonte, Harry, 1927-
Photographs and Prints Division. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture | SCP 186084
32.16 linear feet (82 boxes, 9 oversize folders, 1 tube)
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...
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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.
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