National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; this acquisition received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Anthony Barboza, 2009 November 18-19. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of African American photographer Renee V. Cox measure 5.7 linear feet and date from 1973 to 2018, with individual materials from 1945 and 1955. The bulk of the materials date from the 1990s. The collection contains biographical material, correspondence, writings, exhibition files, materials related to Cox's photographic projects and other professional activities, personal business records, printed material, and photographic material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of African American photographer Renee V. Cox measure 5.7 linear feet and date from 1973 to 2018, with individual materials from 1945 and 1955. The bulk of the materials date from the 1990s. The collection contains biographical material including resumes, calendars and appointment books, education records, and family records; personal and professional correspondence; writings including notes, notebooks/sketchbooks, artist statements, and writings by others; and exhibition files, including plans, photographs, and loan forms. Also included are materials related to Cox's photographic projects and other professional activities, including proposals, plans, teaching files, and professional travel itineraries, as well as material related to the Yo Mama's Last Supper controversy; personal business records, including invoices, sales records, contracts, and agreements; printed material, including clippings, exhibition materials, magazines, and newspapers; and photographic material including slides, contact sheets, prints and copies of Cox's work, family photographs, travel photographs, and photograph portfolios/scrapbooks.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as eight series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1945, 1955, 1973-2011 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1975-1977, 1990-2008 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, circa 1975, circa 1990s-2008 (Boxes 1-2; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 4: Exhibition Files, circa 1990s-2010 (Box 2; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 5: Projects and Professional Activities, circa 1987-2009 (Box 2, Box 7; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1992-2015 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1974-2018 (Boxes 3-7; 3.4 linear feet)
Series 8: Photographic Material, circa 1980s-2000s, undated (Boxes 6-7; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Renee V. Cox (1960- ) is a Jamaican-born African American photographer in New York, NY. She is known for using her work to celebrate Black womanhood and for confronting racism and sexism in her reimagined depictions of religious or cultural figures. Cox began her photographic career as a fashion photographer, working with major fashion houses, supermodels, and agencies to create images that were published in Essence, Seventeen, Mademoiselle, Ebony Man, Sportswear International, and many others.
In 1992, she earned her Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York, NY and went on to attend the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program. Renee Cox was the first woman to attend the program while pregnant and she created works in her Yo Mama series during this time, including a statue of her nude, pregnant form.
In 2001, Cox's work Yo Mama's Last Supper was included in the Committed to the Image exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. The image is a reimagining of Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper with Cox as Jesus surrounded by Black disciples and a white Judas. New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani called for a commission to set decency standards for any New York museum receiving public funds. In addition to the press coverage, Cox received hate mail and threats from people about the piece.
Cox continues to create work engaged in dialogues about the intersection of race, gender, class, and power. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in many private and public collections.
Provenance:
The papers were donated in 2019 by Renee V. Cox as part of the Archives' African American Collecting Initiative funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
United States. Farm Security Administration Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Gordon Parks, 1964 Dec. 30. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Netherlands -- Amsterdam -- Description and travel
New York (N.Y.) -- Description and travel
Tanzania -- Description and travel
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Lyle Ashton Harris, 2017 March 27-29. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Netherlands -- Amsterdam -- Description and Travel
New York (N.Y.) -- Description and Travel
Tanzania -- Description and Travel
Date:
2017 March 27-29
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Lyle Ashton Harris, conducted 2017 March 27 and 29, by Alex Fialho, for the Archives of American Art's Visual Arts and the AIDS Epidemic: An Oral History Project, at Harris's studio and home in New York, New York.
Harris speaks of his childhood in the Bronx; his family's influence on his race-consciousness; living in Tanzania for two years as a child and the effects on his understanding of race and sexuality; his grandfather's extensive photographic archive; contact with the South African diaspora through his step-father; attending Wesleyan University; formative experiences in London, Amsterdam, and New York in the mid-1980s; his education and development as a photographer; attending CalArts and encountering West Coast AIDS activism; encountering systemic racism in Los Angeles; close friendships with Marlon Riggs and Essex Hemphill; exhibitions of his work in New York in the early 1990s; the production of his Ektachrome Archive and his impulse to photograph daily life; his work on the Black Community AIDS Research and Education (Black C.A.R.E.) project in Los Angeles; participating in the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program; being diagnosed with HIV and remaining asymptomatic; attending the Dia Black Popular Culture Conference in 1992; photographing and mounting "The Good Life" in 1994 and "The Watering Hole" in 1996; issues of blackness and queerness in his photographic work; his residency at the American Academy in Rome in 2000; moving to Accra, Ghana for seven years in 2005; his pedagogy as an art professor; his thoughts on the lack of voices of color in the Visual Arts and the AIDS Epidemic Oral History Project and in the larger power structures of the art world; and his hope that his artistic legacy will be evaluated in its proper context. Harris also recalls Jackie and Robert O'Meally, Jay Seeley, Ellen O'Dench, Francesca Woodman, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jim Collier, Robert Mapplethorpe, Allan Sekula, Hazel Carby, Isaac Julien, Catherine Lord, Millie Wilson, Todd Gray, John Grayson, Tommy Gear, Marlon Riggs, Essex Hemphill, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Nancy Barton, Vickie Mays, Connie Butler, Greg Tate, Henry Louis Gates, Houston Baker, Nan Goldin, Jack Tilton, Simon Watson, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Lyle Ashton Harris (1965- ) is an artist who works in video, photography, and performance in New York, New York. Alex Fialho (1989- ) is a curator and arts writer and works as Programs Director for Visual AIDS in New York, New York.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Occupation:
Performance artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Video artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Washington (D.C.) -- Small business -- 20th century
Shaw (Washington, D.C.)
Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans
Date:
1928-1994
Scope and Contents:
The materials document the orders placed by the clients of the Scurlock Studio. The photographs primarily depict individual portrait sittings but there are also portraits of children, groups, and other subjects.
Arrangement note:
The negatives are arranged by job number.
Biographical/Historical note:
The Scurlock photographic studio was a fixture in the Shaw area of Washington, D.C. from 1911 to 1994, and encompassed two generations of photographers, Addison N. Scurlock (1883-1964) and his sons George H. (1920- 2005) and Robert S. (1916-1994). More...
Forms Part Of:
Subseries 4.5 forms part of Series 4, within the Scurlock Studio Records group.
Scurlock Studio Records
Series 1: Black and White Photographs
Series 2: Color Photographs
Series 3: Framed Prints
Series 4: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives
Series 5: Color Negatives
Series 6: Color Transparencies, Slides, and Other Formats
Series 7: Black-and-White Color Separation Negatives and Matrices
Series 8: Scurlock Studio Business Records
Series 9: Custom Craft Business Records
Series 10: Capitol School of Photography
Series 11: Washington Stock
Series 12: Background Materials and Publications
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Series 8: Business Records, Subseries 8.1: Studio Session Registers are restricted. Digital copies available for research. See repository for details.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
43 Linear feet (35 document boxes and 39 oversize boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
Washington (D.C.)
Date:
circa 1750-2009
bulk 1880-1960
Summary:
The Charlene Hodges Byrd collection measures 43 linear feet, and dates from circa 1750-2009, with the bulk of the material dating from 1880-1960. The collection documents the personal life and professional career of Charlene Hodges Byrd, an African American teacher from Washington, D.C., along with material for several related families from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Family members prominently represented include Sarah A. Shimm, teacher and essayist under the name Faith Lichen; her daughters Erminie F. Shimm and Grace E. Shimm Cummings, both teachers; and Byrd's mother, Joyce Ethel Cummings Hodges, also a teacher. Correspondence and writings chiefly discuss family life, religion, race, education, and the relationship with Frederick Douglass and his family. The collection is arranged in 10 series: Biographical Material, Correspondence, Writings, Subject Files, Financial and Legal Records, Printed Material, Volumes, Memorabilia, Textiles, and Photographs.
Scope and Contents:
Series 1. Papers related to biographical and family histories of the Byrd, Cummings, Davage, Dews, Hodges, Shimm, Spruill, and Thomas families. Material includes family trees; school diplomas and certificates; programs; awards; marriage and divorce papers; funeral documents; and obituaries.
Series 2: Chiefly letters from family and friends regarding family news, financial matters, school, work, neighborhood affairs, church events, travel and the weather. The majority of the letters are addressed to Charlene Hodges Byrd, Grace E. Shimm Cummings, Ida R. Cummings, Elizabeth Dews Hodges, Joyce Ethel Cummings Hodges, Erminie F. Shimm, Sarah A. Shimm, and Elizabeth N. Thomas. Other correspondence includes letters from Booker T. Washington, Bessye Beardon, Charlotte Davage, Amelia Douglass, and Harrell S. Spruill. There are also a number of greeting cards, postcards, and empty envelopes.
Series 3. Writings include essays, speeches, papers written for school, teacher's notebooks, and a diary of Erminie F. Shimm, 1903. Topics include education, Frederick Douglass, religion, race, Africa, and the temperance movement.
Series 4. Subject files on Charlene Hodges Byrd's involvement with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority; Book Lovers of Charleston, West Virginia, a women's book club organized in 1923; Church Women United radio program; and The Links, Inc., a volunteer service organization. The papers on Liberia relate to missionary work, and were probably gathered by Erminie F. Shimm; and the Shimm-Thomas Collection are papers related to the deposit and later return of family items housed as a collection at Morgan State College.
Series 5. The financial and legal records include invoices and receipts, bank books, real estate tax assessments, deeds, and wills. There is also material related to the estate of Erminie F. Shimm.
Series 6. Printed materials includes books, pamphlets, newspapers, newsletters, clippings, invitations and programs. The books and pamphlets are chiefly school yearbooks and newspapers and other texts related to religion, politics, music, and poetry. Also included is a copy of Frederick Douglass's autobiography and a printed copy of his speech "The Race Problem." The clippings include obituaries, articles about Charlene Hodges Byrd and her husband Charles R. Byrd, essays by Sarah A. Shimm under the name Faith Lichen, and articles on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The invitations and programs are primarily for school graduations, weddings, social events, and funerals. Other printed material includes newsletters; business cards; calling cards; postage stamps, chiefly from Liberia; and blank postcards. The binder on Frederick Douglass was prepared by Byrd and her goddaughter for the West Virginia School Studies Fair, and includes copies of Byrd family artifacts.
Series 7. Autograph books, guest books, and scrapbooks. The autograph book of Grace E. Shimm Cummings includes autographs from Amelia Douglass, Lewis B. Douglass, Charles R. Douglass, W. H. Clair, and Francis J. Grimke. The scrapbook of Grace E. Shimm Cummings and Erminie F. Shimm consists primarily of clippings, and was assembled from an old teacher's book with a student registration and punishment pages still intact at the back.
Series 8. Miscellaneous items in the collection including artwork, a coin purse, a piece of handwoven cloth belonging to Catherine Nelson's great grandmother, and leather hair curlers.
Series 9: The textiles are chiefly christening gowns, children's garments, and an apron. Several garments belonged to Joyce Ethel Cummings Hodges, Charlene Hodges Byrd, and Elizabeth N. Thomas. There is also a doll that belonged to Amelia Douglass's niece, Kitty Cromwell.
Series 10. Photographs include pictures of Charlene Hodges Byrd, Joyce Ethel Hodges Cummings, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Dews Hodges, Charles Gilmor Cummings, Grace E. Shimm Cummings, Erminie F. Shimm, and other friends and relatives of the Byrd, Hodges, Cummings, Douglass, and Shimm families. Subjects are primarily portraits and candids, along with some wedding, baby, and school pictures. While some of the photographs are annotated, many of the individuals are unidentified. Included are vintage photographs, cabinet cards, cartes-de-visites, tintypes, daguerreotypes, and negatives.
Biographical / Historical:
The Shimm, Thomas, Cummings, Hodges, Davage, and related African American families chiefly lived in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Numerous family members worked as teachers, barbers, or in the service industry. They were active in local churches and service organizations, and had established friendships with local church leaders as well as with Frederick Douglass and his family.
The Shimm and Thomas families were located in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The Thomas family can be traced back to Philip Nelson, who owned property in Leesburg, Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Family genealogical papers list Nelson as a descendent of British Admiral Horatio Nelson. This lineage, however, is not supported in publically available family histories of Horatio Nelson. Philip Nelson and his wife Araminta had five children: Catherine (b. 1805?), William, Levi (b. 1820?), Henrietta, and Grayson.
Catherine Nelson married Elias E. Thomas (b. 1816?) of Virginia in 1840. They wed in Philadelphia and had five children: Levi Nelson (b. 1841), Sarah (1843-1885), Edward (b. 1844), Elizabeth (1848-1932), and Charles (b. 1851).
Sarah Thomas married William Y. Shimm (b. 1841), a barber in Reading, Pennsylvania, on July 26, 1863. They had 2 daughters, Erminie (1867-1936) and Grace (1865-1910). The Shimms lived in Pennsylvania and Ohio, but had moved to Washington, D.C., around 1871. Sarah was a teacher and a writer who published under the name "Faith Lichen." Her writings, primarily essays and commentaries about race and politics, were printed in several newspapers including The National Republican, The Celtic Weekly, The People's Advocate, and The Sunday Morning Gazette.
Sarah's sister Elizabeth was also a teacher in Maryland. Her brother Charles was a lawyer in Washington, D.C., and a graduate of the first class at Howard University's law school.
Erminie and Grace Shimm became teachers in the Washington, D.C., public school system. Erminie was active in her church and supportive of missionary work in Liberia. Grace married Charles Gilmor Cummings, a pastor in Alexandria, Virginia, on July 9, 1902. They had one daughter, Joyce Ethel (1903-1971), and second child in 1905 who died in infancy. Grace died in 1910 of heart failure. After her death, Grace's sister Erminie and Charles's family helped raise Joyce Ethel in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland.
Joyce Ethel Cummings Hodges graduated from Morgan College in 1924, and received her master's degree from Howard University in 1931. She taught at Douglass High School in Baltimore from 1924-1964. Joyce Ethel married Charles E. Hodges (1900--975) in 1927 and they divorced in 1953. The couple had one daughter, Charlene (1929-2009).
Charlene Hodges Byrd grew up in Washington, D.C., but attended the Northfield School for Girls in East Northfield, Massachusetts, for high school, graduating in 1946. She received her bachelor's degree from Connecticut College in 1950, and her master's degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago in 1951. She married Charles R. Byrd (1919-2004) in 1952. They had one son in 1954, but he died four days after birth. Byrd soon began a career as a teacher and education administrator, eventually working for Kanawha County Schools in Charleston, West Virginia. She was also active in her local community as a member of the Book Lovers of Charleston, West Virginia; Church Women United; and The Links, Inc.
Charles E. Hodges was born Bridgewater, Virginia, where his father was a minister. He graduated from Morgan College in 1923 and received his master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1943. He was a teacher and served as principal of the North Street School in Hagerstown, Maryland. After he and Joyce Ethel divorced in 1953, he married Elizabeth Dews (1913-1999) in 1955.
Elizabeth Dews Hodges, born Elizabeth Virginia Waumbeeka, was adopted by James Edward (1889-1954) and Sarah Virginia Dews (1888?-1964) in Washington, D.C., in 1920. She graduated from Miner Teachers College in 1939, and worked as a teacher in Annapolis, Maryland, at Wiley H. Bates High School for 34 years. She was awarded a medal for her work there by the Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge in 1959. Elizabeth was active in local organizations in Maryland and Washington, D.C., including the SE/NE Friends of the Capitol View Branch Library; Eastern Star Chapter 4; Mount Ephraim Baptist Church; National Museum of Women in the Arts; National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples; and the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind.
The Davage family is descended from Sidney Hall (b. 1818?) and Charles Davage (b. 1815?). Sidney was a former slave at the Perry Hall mansion in Baltimore, and was manumitted by 1840. She married Charles, a coachman, on April 12, 1842. They had five children: Eliza Jane (1843-1913), Sophia (b. 1847), Charlotte (b. 1849), Charles (b. 1854), and Hester (b. 1845).
Their daughter Eliza Jane married Henry Cummings (b. 1830?). They had seven children: Harry Sythe (1866-1917), Charles Gilmor (1870-1924), William (b. 1882), Ida R. (1868-1958), Estelle (1874-1944), Carroll (b. 1875), Francis (b. 1872), and Aaron (1864?-1932).
Harry Sythe Cummings, a lawyer in Baltimore, became the city's first African American City Council member. He was first elected in 1890 and served intermittently until his death in 1917, often working on issues related to education. Cummings also delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention in 1904 seconding the presidential nomination of Theodore Roosevelt. He married Blanche Conklin in 1899, and they had three children: Harry S. Jr. (b. 1905), Lucille (d. 1906), and Louise.
Charles Gilmor Cummings graduated from Drew Theological Seminary in 1898, and was a pastor in Alexandria, Virginia and elsewhere. After the death of his wife Grace in 1910, he married Rosa Catherine Bearden, grandmother of artist Romare Bearden, in 1912.
Ida R. Cummings graduated from Morgan College in 1922, and was the first African American kindergarten teacher in Baltimore. She was also active in local organizations, and was president of the Colored Fresh Air and Empty Stocking Circle; chairman of the Woman's Section Council of Defense in Baltimore during the World War, 1914-1918; and president of the Woman's Campaign Bureau of the Colored Republican Voters' League of Maryland.
Provenance:
The Charlene Hodges Byrd collection was donated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture by Herbert S. Garten, co-personal representative of the Estate of Charlene H. Byrd, in 2010.
African Americans -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Citation:
Charlene Hodges Byrd collection, circa 1750-2009. National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
This project received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Washington (D.C.) -- Small business -- 20th century
Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans
Date:
1888-1993
Summary:
The Scurlock photographic studio was a fixture in the Shaw area of Washington, DC from 1911 to 1994, and encompassed two generations of photographers, Addison N. Scurlock (1883-1964) and his sons George H. (1920- 2005) and Robert S. (1916-1994). Series 1 primarily consists of black and white photographs, but also includes job envelopes, order forms, correspondence, notes, and other photographic materials such as negatives. An overview to the entire Scurlock collection is available here: Scurlock Studio Records.
Scope and Contents note:
Materials are almost entirely black and white photographs, but also include job envelopes, order forms, correspondence, notes, and other photographic material types that were included in the overall order. In addition, not all photographs in this series were taken by the Scurlock Studio; there are photographs by Abdon Daoud Ackad and other studios or photographers that were sent in to make copies. The series is arranged into two subseries: Subseries 1.1: Clients, and Subseries 1.2: Subjects.
Arrangement note:
Arranged in 2 subseries.
1.1: Clients Black and white photographs
1.2: Subjects Black and white photographs
Biographical/Historical note:
The Scurlock photographic studio was a fixture in the Shaw area of Washington, DC. from 1911 to 1994, and encompassed two generations of photographers, Addison N. Scurlock (1883-1964) and his sons George H. (1920- 2005) and Robert S. (1916-1994). More...
Forms Part Of:
This series forms part of the Scurlock Studio Records group.
Scurlock Studio Records
Series 1: Black and White Photographs
Series 2: Color Photographs
Series 3: Framed Prints
Series 4: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives
Series 5: Color Negatives
Series 6: Color Transparencies, Slides, and Other Formats
Series 7: Black-and-White Color Separation Negatives and Matrices
Series 8: Scurlock Studio Business Records
Series 9: Custom Craft Business Records
Series 10: Capitol School of Photography
Series 11: Washington Stock
Series 12: Background Materials and Publications
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
African American entertainers -- 20th century Search this
African Americans -- History -- 20th century Search this
Genre/Form:
Matrices, color separation
Photographs -- 20th century
Dye transfer process
Color separation negatives
Studio portraits
Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
This collection, which dates from circa 1932-1999, documents the personal and professional life of Frank R. Jackson, as well as daily life in Anacostia. Materials include color and black-and-white photographs, negatives, clippings, programs, certificates, scrapbooks, programs, and crossword puzzles. Many of the photographs depict the dismantling of the Frederick Douglass housing project and the construction of Henson Ridge.
Biographical/Historical note:
Frank Roscoe Jackson was born in Washington, D.C. in 1908. He was a 1925 graduate of Dunbar High School and went on to attend Miner Normal School (Miner Teacher's College) and taught for two years in Crisfield, MD. In 1933, he married Florence Thomas and the family moved to Anacostia, where Jackson would live for the rest of his life. In addition to working for the U.S. Printing Office for 40 years, Jackson became a professional photographer in the 1950s, operating a studio on Benning Road. In the late 1990s, Jackson was included in a Washington Times article about oral histories compiled by the D.C. Historical Society. Jackson also constructed crossword puzzles for the Washington Post for over 25 years. He died in 2007 at the age of 99.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
This show presented photographs and photo media based art work produced by black photographers from 1840 to the present. The images in the exhibition form a technical history of the medium as well as a pictorial history of African Americans. Curated by Deborah Willis , the show was exhibited at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, South Gallery from February 4 to June 30, 2000.
Scope and Contents note:
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, exhibit scripts, administrative records, exhibit layouts and brochures.
Related Archival Materials note:
Audiovisual materials related to this exhibition located in Anacostia Community Museum Archives.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to the Present exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Audiovisual Materials related to an exhibit on African American photographers held a the Art and Industries Building February 4, 2000 - July 16, 2000. The exhibit featured more than 300 images by 120 leading African American photographers that document
Provenance:
This exhibit was created by the Center for African American History and Culture, a Smithsonian Initiative which operated in the 1990s before merging with the Anacostia Museum.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to the present audiovisual records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Opening of the exhibition 'Reflections in Black: African American Photography: 1840 to the Present' at the Anacostia Museum on February 3, 2000. Speakers included Steven Newsome, Larry Small, Debbi Jarvis, Linda Sullivan, and Sandra Allen. Reception and concert of doo-wop music followed the speeches.
Reception. Audio only. Related to exhibition 'Reflections in Black: African American Photography: 1840 to the Present.' Dated 20000203.
Biographical / Historical:
Reflections in Black: African American Photography: 1840 to the Present examined how, throughout history, black photographers have played a central role in influencing how African Americans visualized themselves. The exhibition was presented as a series of three thematic sections: The First One Hundred Years, 1842-1942, Art and Activism, and A History Deconstructed. It was held at the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture from February 4 - June 30, 2000.
Local Numbers:
ACMA AV001922_B
Series Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition lighlighting the work of African American photographers in the Washington, D.C. area. Through a sampling of works by both well-known and emerging photographers, the exhibition makes a solid statement about he strenght of vision, skill and sensibilities of artists involved in this arena of artistic expression. The exhbition was curated by Maricia Battle in cooperation with New Visions Imagery, Inc. and held at the Anacostia Museum from June 22, 1991 to September 29, 1991. Photographs included: Ken Ashton, Joseph Beasley, Ronald R. Beverly, Francis Butler, José Castro, Owyda Denyse Clarke, Kerry Coppin, Kenneth Dickerson, Welton Doby III, Sharon Farmer, Jeffrey Fearing, Jarvis Grant, Donna Greene, Gail A. Hansbery, Craig Herndon, James, Hicks, Daniel Jenkins,m Keith Jenkins, Brian V. Jones, Julia Jones, Marvin T. Jones, Mathews Lewis, Harlee Little, Robert McNeil, Leigh H. Mosley, André Richardson, Addison N. Scurlock, Robert S. Scurlock, Edgar E. Thompson, Edwin Wilson, Andrew J. White, Samuel Yette, and Gene Young.
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, artist's statements, brochures, flyers, calendar of events, and newspaper clippings, and adminstrative records.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
209 Video recordings (21 16mm film prints ; 188 video recordings)
23 Linear feet (27 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Floppy discs
Video recordings
Place:
Harlem (New York, N.Y.)
Date:
circa 1954-1990
bulk 1970-1980
Scope and Contents note:
Morgan and Marvin Smith, twin brothers who lived and worked in Harlem, NY, are regarded as the premiere photographers of the area from the 1930s-1950s. The two brothers pursued many creative outlets outside of photography, including painting, film, and
Related Archival Materials note:
Morgan and Marvin Smith's photograph collection is housed at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.
Provenance:
This collection was donated to the Center for African American History and Culture, a Smithsonian Initiative which operated in the 1990s before merging with the Anacostia Museum.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Many materials in the collection are inaccessible due to their obsolete formats and fragile state. Please contact the archivist at ACMarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition exploring and examining religious imagery in African American art curated by Deborah Willis. The show was organized by the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture and held at the Anacostia Gallery February 14, 1999 through June 15, 1999. This exhibit featured over 60 artists including David C. Driskell, Leslie King-Hammond, Radcliffe Bailey, Chester Higgins, Jr., and Valerie Maynard.
Scope and Contents note:
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, artist files, administrative records, education packages and brochures.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Locating the Spirit: Religion and Spirituality in African American Art exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
