Publication Status: Edited Full Draft
Catalog Record:
For information about Prints and Photographs Division collections and services, see the
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.
The Library of Congress Manuscript Division first acquired the records of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as a gift from the Association in 1964.
Records were processed by the Manuscript Division at various intervals between 1969 and 1993 as additional inactive files were received from the NAACP national headquarters. During processing in the Manuscript Division, visual materials found interfiled with the textual records or housed in separate containers were transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division (P&P) for processing and cataloging.
Visual materials transferred to the Prints & Photographs Division from the Manuscript Division were in no particular order, thus Prints & Photographs Division staff developed a logical arrangement reflecting the activities and interests of the Association. Images have been grouped into nine categories, which approximate the overall arrangement of the NAACP manuscript records.
Within most of the nine categories, related images are subarranged into smaller, more cohesive subject groupings, called LOTs, to help researchers locate particular people, events, and topics. Within LOTs, items are organized either chronologically (to reflect the development of a specific subject over time) or alphabetically, by person's name, geographic area, or subject. Each LOT is identified by a unique five-digit call number, e.g., LOT 13074. Most LOTs contain between 10 and 200 items; the largest, in the “People and Groups” category, contains 1,001 items.
Because of subject overlap within the collection, researchers are encouraged to search among several categories for comprehensive coverage of a given subject. For example, photos of the NAACP Baltimore branch picketing the segregated Ford's Theater are in LOT 13094 in the “General Programs and Related Subjects” category, while photos of Baltimore branch administrative meetings and groups are in LOT 13075 in the “Administrative Programs” category. Additionally, individual portraits of branch members or officers may be under the sitter's name in LOT 13074 in the “People and Groups” category.
NAACP Collection motion pictures, sound and video recordings, and manuscripts are located in the appropriate custodial divisions of the Library.
Collection processed by Vickie Crawley, Philip Michel, Anne Mitchell, Charles Noble, Jeanna Penn, and Alberta Prosser.
Permitted; subject to P&P policy on serving originals.
This collection includes original and copy photographs, artwork, and prints created prior to 1969. They were gathered from many sources including wire services, commercial photo studios, publicity photo distributors, and amateur photographers, and may be restricted by copyright. Some photos are not identified with the name of their creator or their source. Privacy and publicity rights may apply.
Reproduction (i.e., xeroxing, hand-held camera copying, photoduplication, and other forms of copying allowed by “fair use”): Permitted; subject to P&P policy on copying. This policy requires the use of microfilm in place of the originals.
Publication and other forms of distribution: May be restricted.
Wire service, professional photographer, studio, publicity, or other photographs and original artwork from commercial sources may be restricted by copyright and patrons are advised to check for copyright prior to publication or other forms of distribution. The commercial status of these images can be recognized by the appearance of the name of a photographer or studio on the image, e.g., Ernest Withers, Morgan & Marvin Smith, Addison Scurlock. More information on specific wire services is available in the Restrictions Notebook under: Associated Press, Black Star, United Press International. As the Prints & Photographs Division learns of photographers' current addresses, its adds them, under the name of the photographer, to the Restrictions Notebook.
Images by unidentified creators and images from unidentified sources are problematic because of the lack of information. Patrons who wish to show that a reasonable effort was made to determine copyright status should request a copyright search and retain any reply for their records.
U.S. Government-issued photographs are considered to be in the public domain.
Original artwork and prints may be restricted by copyright. Rights for published works created less than 75 years ago or unpublished works created within the last 100 years may be held by the creator, creator's heirs, or the publisher.
Credit line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Visual Materials from the NAACP Records [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-123456]
Researchers may view the collection on microfilm in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room or by purchasing microfilm reels from the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service (see “How to Order Copies of the Microfilm”). Researchers who would like to view ten or fewer images listed in the finding aid may obtain xerox copies (made from microfilm) by writing to: Reference Section, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540-4730.
Researchers can purchase photographic copies of images in the collection from the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540-5230 (telephone: 202-707-5640). The following information is needed by the Photoduplication Service to complete an order:
The call number of the original item (found in the right-hand column of the Contents List in the finding aid and the lower right corner of the microfilm frame)
Any existing copy negative or original negative numbers appearing on the microfilm or in records in the Library's automated catalog
A brief description of the item for verification purposes
Researchers may write to the Prints & Photographs Division Reference Section, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540, for additional information. Orders may be submitted to the Library's Photoduplication Service directly; price lists for all reprographic services are available through the Photoduplication Service, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540.
The images in the collection are not available in digital form. However, microfilm of this collection on 19 reels is available from the Library's Photoduplication Service for purchase subject to the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.)
Researchers requesting access to the collection in the Prints & Photographs Division must use the microfilm surrogate in order to safeguard original materials from deterioration that results from repeated handling. The microfilm should be used in conjunction with the finding aid, which summarizes the contents of each category and LOT and provides folder-level identifications.
The microfilm surrogate was made by the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service using an Elke Library Camera and Kodak direct duplicating film to maximize continuous tone capability. Items 21” x 25” or smaller were filmed at a reduction ratio of 18:1. Items larger than 21” x 25” were filmed at a reduction ratio of 21:1. A change in reduction ratio is indicated by the presence of a ruler along the lower edge of the frame.
All cataloged images appear in the microfilm--excluding Supplementary Archives materials and some color transparencies (described in the Scope and Content Note).
Materials appear in the microfilm in the order in which they are arranged within the categories and LOTs. Reverse sides of images (versos) were filmed only when there was information present--i.e., notes, markings, photographer stamps, captions, etc. Using the microfilm surrogate together with the finding aid, researchers are supplied with all available information pertaining to the images. Versos were not filmed specifically for copy negative information; researchers must search the Library's automated system for up-to-date information on the availability of copy negatives for images.
The call number for each image--e.g., “LOT 13074, no. 1”--appears in the lower right corner of the microfilm frame, and corresponds to the number listed in the left-hand column of the Contents List in the finding aid. The storage designation for each item appears in parentheses, following the call number, only in the Contents List. If an original item is needed, researchers must consult the finding aid to determine its storage designation.
The front (recto) of an image appears with its corresponding call number in the lower right corner; the call number does not appear in frames of versos of images, nor does it appear in frames of accompanying caption information. In most cases caption information immediately follows the image to which it relates and is accompanied by the phrase: “information from previous image” (in the lower right corner of the frame). Occasionally, an image recto will be followed by more than one frame of related caption information; and, rarely, a series of related images--filmed consecutively--will be followed by more than one frame of related caption information.
In a few instances, images have the same LOT number and item number and a distinguishing letter suffix. This indicates one of the following conditions:
Copies of the entire microfilm, or of individual microfilm reels, may be ordered from the Photoduplication Service, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540 (telephone: 202-707-5640).
Specify the collection's microform shelflist number (Microfilm 95/4779 P&P) and the particular reel number(s) you wish to order. Indicate whether you wish the images on the microfilm to appear as positive or negative images. (Reels may be purchased in either form.) The cost of the microfilm includes a hard copy of the finding aid, which is meant to be used in conjunction with the microfilm. The finding aid is also available on microfilm on reel 19.
This chronology covers key events in the NAACP's history, providing a general framework and points of reference for understanding the visual materials in this collection. Listed events do not necessarily correspond to particular visual materials in the collection; some listed events are well covered in the collection, while others are not.
The collection consists of approximately 5,000 items, primarily photographs and photomechanical prints reflecting many of the Association's administrative and civil rights programs. The images range in date from ca. 1838 to 1969, the bulk dating from 1944 to 1955.
Images of the NAACP administrative staff and programs focus on people and activities at the national and local level. Almost half of the collection consists of portraits of NAACP headquarters staff, state and national conference delegates, branch officers, and members (LOTs 13074, 13106, 13111, 13120, 13123); national and regional conference activities (LOTs 13077, 13078, 13079); and fundraising and membership campaigns (LOTs 13075, 13080, 13081). Prominent activists depicted include Ella Baker, Daisy Bates, Gloster Current, Charles Houston, Ruby Hurley, Lillian Jackson, James Weldon Johnson, Daisy Lampkin, Thurgood Marshall, Clarence Mitchell, Constance Baker Motley, Arthur Spingarn, Walter White, Roy Wilkins, and Herbert Wright. In addition to civil rights activists, portraits of African American entertainers, sports figures, government officials, and other professionals are prevalent. Local branch activities (LOT 13082) and administrative programs (LOTs 13075, 13076, 13077, 13078, 13079, 13080, 13081, 13082, 13083, 13084) are reflected in photos of membership campaigns, meetings, and members protesting against discrimination.
Most of the other photographs document the Association's long-term efforts to promote civil rights legislation through litigation, public protest, and sustained monitoring and reporting of injustices against African Americans. Examples of these efforts are seen in photos of lynching victims (LOT 13093), defendants in civil rights cases (LOT 13086), housing conditions of African Americans in urban areas (LOT 13091), inferior school buildings (LOT 13088), discrimination signs (LOT 13087), and segregated public facilities (LOT 13094). NAACP investigations to gather evidence in support of civil rights campaigns and legal cases are documented in snapshots taken by NAACP staff while working in the field. Included among these are photographs taken by Roy Wilkins for his 1937 investigation of Red Cross relief efforts for African American flood victims (LOT 13119). Other snapshots document the Association's investigation of the Tennessee Valley Authority and Mississippi flood control construction projects (LOT 13097), taken 1934.
Marches, which focused national attention on civil rights issues, are well represented in the collection (LOT 13099). The earliest example is the Silent Protest parade of 1917. Images of later events include the 1950 National Emergency Civil Rights Mobilization; the 1957 Prayer Pilgrimage at Washington, D.C.; and the Selma, Alabama, march of 1965. Many of these later photographs depict NAACP executives Walter White and Roy Wilkins working alongside other prominent African American civil rights activists, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and A. Philip Randolph, as well as labor leaders Walter Reuther and Paul Sifton. Noteworthy for the depiction of the activities of two other civil rights organizations is a group of snapshots documenting a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) “Freedom Walk” in memory of activist William Moore, who was murdered in 1963 while on a solo march from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, in support of civil rights.
NAACP efforts to integrate the armed services are represented principally for the World War II period. These photographs document African American men participating in various branches of the armed forces: Tuskegee Air Pilots (LOT 13104), 99th Fighter Squadron (LOT 13105), 8th Army (LOT 13106), 369th Artillery Regiment (LOT 13106), Coast Guard (LOT 13107), Marines (LOT 13109), and Navy Seabees (LOT 13111). Women are represented contributing to the war effort on the home front and abroad (LOT 13103).
The Association's interest in monitoring international events and issues affecting African Americans is illustrated in views of people and activities in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America (LOT 13102). Included among these are photos of the 1944 Conference Africaine Française, at Brazzaville, an event leading to the independence of French colonies in western and equatorial Africa (LOT 13101).
African American photographers are well represented in the work of professionals such as
The bulk of the photographs bear stamps and other editorial markings indicating they were acquired and used primarily for publication in the NAACP's official magazine (the
Most photographs were received with captions attached to them. Unidentified photographs were researched in reference sources and official NAACP publications such as the
The collection also includes photomechanical prints, for example, postcards, greeting cards, flyers, magazine clippings, etc., which are interfiled with the photographs. Accompanying textual materials, including memos describing how the photos came to the organization, notes, press releases, programs, and accompanying envelopes with annotations, are filed with corresponding photographs and photomechanical prints to provide contextual information for the images.
Catalog records for each LOT are available in the Library's automated catalog. Prominent subjects and people depicted, as well as prominent photographers associated with each LOT, are indexed and searchable in the Library's automated catalog.
Special formats in the collection include cartoon drawings depicting anti-lynching subjects and posters announcing NAACP events, membership, and voter registration campaigns (LOT 13084). Drawings by African American artists include materials by Elton Fax ( CD 1 -Fax and LOT 13084), Louise Jefferson (LOT 13084), and Cornelius Johnson ( CD 1 -Johnson). The collection also includes a February 1918
Twelve color transparencies are in P&P filing series LC-NA05: seven of eleven 16mm color film transparencies--those depicting prominent NAACP staff--have been reproduced as Cibachrome prints (LOT 13084); one 35mm slide--depicting an unidentified man--has not been reproduced.
The collection includes 55 black-and-white negatives measuring 8 x 10 inches or smaller. These are in P&P filing series LC-NA14 (safety film) and LC-NA24 (nitrate film). All negatives have corresponding prints that either came with the collection or were made later by the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service and processed with the collection. Corresponding negative numbers appear on the versos of each print.
Twenty-two panoramic photographs depict NAACP conference participants and banquets. Standard 8 x 10 inch copy prints of original panoramas that have been retired from service (to protect them from further deterioration) and are filed in appropriate LOTs; other original panoramas are located in the PAN SUBJECT filing series. Individual catalog records for panoramas can be accessed via P&P's automated catalog.
Supplementary Archives materials include paper printing plates, engraving plates, printing blocks (used in publishing the
Portraits of NAACP founders, board members, staff, branch officers, and other prominent cultural, social, and political figures, ca. 1884-1967, bulk 1944-1960. These photographs of individuals and groups were used for publication and public relations purposes. Emphasis is on NAACP administrative and executive staff, branch officers and members; includes African American entertainers, authors, political figures, labor leaders, and some foreign government officials; photos of children and young adults. Many photos capture people in unposed situations. Some individuals and groups unidentified. Includes snapshots, some card photographs, and several photographic postcards. NAACP staff and other prominent people represented include Daisy Bates, Margurite Belafonte, James Weldon Johnson, Thurgood Marshall, E. Frederic Morrow, Clarence Muse, Mary White Ovington, Arthur Spingarn, Walter White, Roy Wilkins, and Louis T. Wright. Includes oversize material. 977 photographic prints; 24 prints. Organized into four subject categories: Identified individual portraits (arranged alphabetically by surname); Unidentified individuals; Children; Groups.
Note: LOT 13074, no. 784 not used.
Primarily commercially made publicity photographs of staff and local members participating in various activities, conferences, and programs relating to the administration of the organization at the national and local levels. Includes illustrations that appeared in promotional literature and posters published by the NAACP.
Includes group portraits of PANCAS--members honored for having secured the largest number of memberships for their branch. Portraits of membership committees, branch officers, and membership campaign workers. Some images of NAACP executive staff at branch meetings, including Roy Wilkins at a Denver, Colo., meeting; one photo of Ella Baker at the New York State Conference of branches, taken in 1945 during her service as the national director of branches; one photo of Daisy Lampkin, field secretary, speaking at a Montgomery, Ala., benefit dance in 1939; a 1917 group portrait of the Atlanta, Ga., branch showing a young Walter White as one of its members; some photos of Gloster Current serving as Detroit, Mich., branch president in the early 1940s. One handbill announcing an Evansville, Ind., program and meeting in honor of Harry T. Moore, NAACP executive secretary for Florida, who was killed in December 1951 for voter registration activities. 129 photographic prints; 4 photomechanical prints. Organized alphabetically by state and thereunder by city.
Predominantly group portraits of members from college chapters at historically black colleges and youth councils from the southern, eastern, and midwestern United States. Includes some general membership activities and informal portraits of groups attending local chapter meetings. Includes photos of Charles A. McLean of the Salem, N.C., branch leading a memorial service for John F. Kennedy. One image of a “NAACP Juniors” band and one photo of the Flushing, N.Y., Youth Council baseball team. NAACP staff members depicted with youth include Kelly Alexander, Gloster Current, Ruby Hurley, and Herbert Wright. One image of Walter White with members of the Texas Southern University chapter. 97 photographic prints; 6 photomechanical prints. Organized into three subject categories: College chapters (arranged alphabetically by college); Youth councils (arranged alphabetically by state); Miscellaneous or unidentified.
Snapshot views of “Troutbeck” estate grounds and meeting tents taken during the 1916 meeting; group portraits of participants at both gatherings. People depicted at the 1916 meeting include Addie W. Hunton, William Pickens, Arthur Spingarn, Mary Talbert, and Mary Church Terrell. Participants at the 1933 conference include Ralph Bunche, W.E.B. Du Bois, Charles Houston, Juanita Jackson, James Weldon Johnson, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins. 6 photographic prints. Organized into two subject categories: Amenia Conference, Aug. 1916; Amenia Conference, Aug. 1933.
Mainly group portraits of conference participants; includes some views of meeting activities, guest speakers, and Spingarn medalists receiving awards at annual meetings. Emphasis is on NAACP staff at the national and state levels. Includes youth and branch delegates at leadership training workshops and other meetings. Includes several views of Mahalia Jackson and Dorothy Maynor performing at conference opening sessions. NAACP staff represented prominently include W.E.B. Du Bois, Charles Houston, James Weldon Johnson, Daisy Lampkin, Thurgood Marshall, Mary White Ovington, Arthur Spingarn, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins. 259 photographic prints; 17 photomechanical prints. Organized into five subject categories: Annual conferences (arranged chronologically); Spingarn awards (arranged chronologically); Regional conferences (arranged chronologically); State conferences (arranged alphabetically by state); Miscellaneous conferences.
General views of youth and college delegates at selected national and state conferences. Also includes some photos of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, and Richard Nixon speaking at programs or meeting informally with youth or NAACP staff. One photo of youth delegates meeting with Senator Joseph Ball at the 1947 Youth Legislative Conference at Washington, D.C. NAACP staff depicted include Ruby Hurley, Roy Wilkins, Walter White, and Herbert Wright. 93 photographic prints; 9 prints. Organized into three subject categories: Annual youth conferences (arranged chronologically); State youth conferences (arranged alphabetically by state); Miscellaneous conferences (arranged chronologically).
NAACP staff and board members accepting donations from members, representatives from charities and clubs, and labor organizations; one photo of NAACP national staff meeting in 1953 to plan the “Fight for Freedom” fundraising campaign--an effort to raise one million dollars annually until 1963, the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. Includes some branch activities to raise money for the Freedom Fund campaign, a Freedom Fund poster, and one sheet of Freedom Fund Christmas seals. NAACP staff depicted include Lucille Black, Charles Houston, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Arthur Spingarn, Roy Wilkins, and Walter White. Other prominent people include Lena Horne and Charles Houston. 49 photographic prints; 2 photomechanical prints; 2 prints (1 poster, 1 Christmas seal stamp sheet). Organized into two subject categories: General fundraising; Freedom fund.
General and life membership drives and benefits; includes national staff receiving contributions from representatives of social organizations and local businesses. Also photos of committees in planning sessions for membership campaigns; celebrities promoting membership; many photos of the “New York Metropolitan Area” membership campaign; members receiving life membership plaques from NAACP staff. NAACP staff depicted include Morris DeLisser, Kivie Kaplan, Thurgood Marshall, Arthur Spingarn, Channing Tobias, and Roy Wilkins. Includes some photos of Floyd Patterson, Freedom Fund co-chairman, at NAACP membership rally. Other entertainers and sports figures represented include Sammy Davis, Jr., Lena Horne, and Jackie Robinson. 114 photographic prints; 6 contact sheets (98 images); 2 prints. Organized into two subject categories: General membership; Life membership.
Includes portraits of NAACP beautiful baby contest prize winners, recipients of the NAACP Ike Smalls Award, a portrait of the North Carolina NAACP mother of the year for 1957. Presentations of awards by Gloster Current, Ruby Hurley, Roy Wilkins, and Herbert Wright. Group portrait of the NAACP Emancipation Proclamation Centennial essay contest judges with Calvin Banks, NAACP program director. 26 photographic prints. Organized into two subject categories: Awards--general; Beautiful baby contest.
Primarily NAACP executive officers, board members, standing committees, and other staff at meetings, probably in New York offices. Also includes unposed photographs of office staff at unidentified social gatherings. Staff and board members photographed include Ella Baker, John Hammond, Thurgood Marshall, E. Frederic Morrow, Arthur Spingarn, Walter White, Roy Wilkins; one group photo of board member Eleanor Roosevelt meeting with NAACP executives. Includes photos of NAACP office buildings in New York, N.Y., and Washington, D.C., and a few snapshots of property, “G.W. Quinn's Groceries” located at Pine Bluff, Ark., that was bequeathed to the NAACP in 1935 by a former member. 28 photographic prints. Organized into two subject categories: Administrative meetings and gatherings; Buildings and facilities.
Includes original design drawings for NAACP membership campaign posters; camera-ready materials for a Christmas seal ad; and posters for NAACP anniversary dances, membership drives, “wartime” conferences, and voter registration campaigns designed by Louise Jefferson and Elton Fax. Photographs reproduced from a 1943 promotional film entitled
Primarily photographs documenting segregation and other discriminatory practices that the organization protested in its attempt to achieve political and social equality. Civil rights campaigns, legislative, and legal programs. Includes branches involvement in demonstrations at the local level. Photographs of lobbying activities, marches, assemblies, and rallies organized by the NAACP and other organizations in support of civil rights legislation. Also documents general living and non-military working conditions of African Americans.
Primarily portraits of sharecroppers, migrant agricultural workers, and farmers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Haiti--some by Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographers Jack Delano, Russell Lee, Arthur Rothstein, and Marion Post Wolcott. Includes U.S. Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Adjustment Agency photos of extension services for farmers and photos of food production, distribution, and conservation, during World War II. Several photos of Southern University, La., “Victory Farm Program” show students farming on the university campus. One photo of Mrs. Harold Ickes giving a tour to a group of Japanese Americans on her farm near Olney, Md. 39 photographic prints; 3 photomechanical prints. Organized into three subject categories: Department of Agriculture war effort; Farmers, migrant workers, and sharecroppers; Miscellaneous.
Portrait of a juvenile defendant in the Bell-Swain case; group portrait of the attorneys in the George Crawford case; defendant Jess Hollins with NAACP attorney Cecil Robertson; one photo of Juanita Jackson Mitchell visiting the Scottsboro defendants in jail; defendant W.D. Lyons; eight photos of NAACP clients Lawrence Mitchell, Richard Philip Adams, and John Walter Bordinane, soldiers convicted in a rape case, shown in military uniform and in prison dress; one photo of the principals involved in a slavery charge; defendants in the Columbia, Tenn., riot case with NAACP attorneys and the Nashville, Tenn., branch president M.G. Ferguson; one photo of the three defendants in the Groveland, Fla., rape case: Walter Irvin, Charles Greenlee, and Samuel Shepherd. Prominent NAACP staff and attorneys represented include Charles Houston, Z. Alexander Looby, and Walter White. 17 photographic prints; 3 photomechanical prints. Organized chronologically.
Includes two snapshots of a roadside advertisement in Vinita, Okla., reading “Eat nigger chicken” that were sent to the NAACP by J. Richardson Jones along with a letter explaining why the photos were taken; two photos of various discriminatory signs in a trash can, one photo with a letter 'X' painted across the image. One photo of a soft drink dispenser for white customers only. 4 photographic prints; 2 prints.
Emphasis is on buildings, facilities, and students at African American schools, colleges, and universities. Lincoln University, Wayne State, and Wilberforce are represented. Includes photos comparing schools for African Americans with those for whites and group portraits of graduating classes; some photos of defendants in school and college desegregation cases, including Donald Gaines Murray (University of Maryland), Autherine Lucy (University of Alabama), Henry Doyle and Heman Sweatt (University of Texas), Ada Lois Sipuel and G.W. McLaurin (University of Oklahoma); some photos show civil disturbances at schools attempting integration in the late 1950s, including some of Central High School, Little Rock, Ark.; one photo shows Daisy Bates with the “Little Rock Nine.” Includes NAACP youth protesting segregation at Texas State University, and college students marching in support of the Austin-Mahoney Bill. One photo of Billie Holiday with school children from Merriam, Kans. NAACP staff depicted include Daisy Bates, Oliver Hill, Ruby Hurley, and Thurgood Marshall. Includes several photos of Carl Van Vechten and Georgia O'Keeffe on the campus of Fisk University. 222 photographic prints; 23 photomechanical prints. Organized into eight subject categories: Desegregation cases; Integrated schools and colleges; Protest, secondary and college; African American schools; White schools and students; Unidentified school buildings; Universities and colleges; Miscellaneous. Arranged chronologically or alphabetically within each category.
Photos show African American workers posed for group portraits, receiving awards, and in work related activities. Occupations represented include nurses, doctors, laborers, clerks, and retail management trainees. Includes Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) photos documenting integration of African Americans into the work force; National Youth Administration photos show youth learning various trades; many publicity photos of scientists and administrators employed by the Department of Agriculture; some photos of tobacco workers striking; a few photos of workers in San Francisco, Calif., and Pontiac, Mich., protesting employment discrimination. NAACP staff represented in a few photos: Clarence Mitchell, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins. 95 photographic prints; 1 print. Organized into eight subject categories: African Americans employed at the Department of Agriculture; African Americans in professional occupations; Discrimination; Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC); Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) in New York, N.Y.; National Youth Administration, vocational training program; Protests; Strikes.
Includes photos of tuberculosis screening at a Harlem Health Center; photos and text about a proposed public health and rehabilitation center dedicated as a living war memorial; fundraising activities for Sydenham Hospital in New York, a proposed “interracial volunteer hospital.” Includes one photo of a child with sores or scars on her face and a one photo of assembly workers in a pharmaceutical plant. 15 photographic prints; 3 photomechanical prints. Organized into three subject categories: General; Hall of Health, War, and Peace; Sydenham Hospital.
Emphasis is on single-family houses and integrated developments in cities and rural areas in the Southern and Northeastern United States. Includes low-income housing projects in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Cleveland, Ohio; Greenbelt, Md.; New York, N.Y., and Watts (Los Angeles, Calif.). Some photos show white resistance to integration in their neighborhoods, including a photo of a house with a sign declaring “This house is not for sale.” Includes miscellaneous unidentified rowhouses and a few home interiors. 63 photographic prints; 4 prints. Organized into four subject categories: Demonstrations against integrated housing; Poor housing conditions; Public housing; Miscellaneous oversize.
Photos show destruction and defacing of personal property, cross burnings, church and house bombings by Ku Klux Klan in Montgomery, Ala.; Shreveport, La.; Groveland, Fla.; and Egg Harbor City, N.J. One postcard photo showing storm damage to a KKK building in Miami, Fla., taken ca. 1926. Ku Klux Klan May Day parade in Prague; Klan rallies in Swainsboro, Ga., and Visalia, Calif., and other unidentified locations. One photo depicting a Nazi party rally in an unidentified location; two snapshots of a Klan “motorcade” to Stone Mountain, Ga., taken in 1956 at Union City, Ga. 18 photographic prints.
Students and branch members demonstrating against lynching; snapshots of William Hastie and Walter White with Congressmen Joseph Gavagan and Raymond McKeough lobbying for anti-lynching legislation in Washington, D.C.; a flag displayed from NAACP headquarters window with the words “A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY”; portraits of lynch victims and lynch mobs; some photos of victims' families, including Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Bradley; one group portrait of the mothers of slain civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. Includes reproductions of sculptures and artwork depicting lynch victims. One photo of a Virginia highway sign with text explaining the origin of the lynch law. Additional NAACP staff depicted include Medgar Evers, Daisy Lampkin, and Roy Wilkins. 98 photographic prints; 3 photomechanical prints. Organized into four subject categories: Anti-lynching legislation/demonstrations; Lynching victims and families; Victims of brutality; Miscellaneous.
Includes activities at segregated recreation facilities; social welfare centers for minority children in Harlem; one photo of an integrated church service; miscellaneous buildings, churches, and businesses, including views of the African American-owned Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, Los Angeles, Calif. Picketing of segregated theaters, commercial businesses, amusement parks; several photos of a man sitting in a segregated library watched closely by police officers; several photos of vice-presidential candidate, Henry Wallace, on a campaign tour through Birmingham, Ala., that was cut short when he refused to speak before a segregated audience. Some photos show railroad dining car interiors; a few show sections of dining car tables roped off and separated from other seating areas. 132 photographic prints; 3 prints. Organized into five subject categories: Integrated public facilities; Melrose House/Pepsi Cola, Junior Club of Harlem; Segregated facilities; Transportation facilities; and Miscellaneous buildings/facilities.
Primarily views of Tulsa, Okla., before and after the riot of 1921, and street scenes during the Los Angeles, Calif., “Zoot Suit Riot” of 1943. Includes three photos of vandalism and arrests at Columbia, Tenn., after the riot of 1946. 20 photographic prints.
Photos show celebrities in publicity portraits and film stills. Prominent African Americans represented include Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, and Ethel Waters. Also includes stills from religious, war, educational, and feature films, including Canterbury Tale, Home of the Brave, and Pinky. One photo shows Walter White being interviewed on a television program; includes some images of African American stereotypes including “black-face” entertainers performing skits; several photos of NAACP branch members protesting the screening of the film Birth of a Nation at a Flushing, N.Y., movie theater. 130 photographic prints; 3 photomechanical prints; 3 prints. Organized into six subject categories: The Birth of a Nation picketing; Film stills; Product promotion; Stereotypes; Television and radio; Theater.
Snapshot photos of work sites and camps at Hughes, Ark.; Friar's Point, Miss.; Memphis, Tenn.; and possibly other unidentified locations, show African American workers, their families, and houses. Several photos of a child identified as the “baby who caused the change in the sanitary regulations”; some views of an industrial building and dam, as well as tractors and hoisting machinery. John P. Davis, Charles Houston, and Walter White appear in several photos. 50 photographic prints. Organized chronologically.
Voter registration activities and campaigns in Atlanta, Ga.; Birmingham, Ala.; Tampa, Fla.; and other unidentified locations. Includes children participating in registration activities; photos of “Tent City” in Fayette County, Tenn., a camp for African Americans driven from their homes for registering to vote in 1960; several photos of witnesses for voting rights infringement cases; photos related to the Gus Courts and George Lee voting restrictions case of 1955 show Courts in the hospital suffering from gun shot wounds he received for registering to vote and photos taken at the funeral of George Lee, who was murdered for his voter registration activities. NAACP staff depicted include William Borders, Gus Courts, Clarence Mitchell, and Austin T. Walden. 38 photographic prints; 1 print. Organized into four subject categories: General voter registration activities; Voter registration campaigns, Tampa, Fla.; Court cases and congressional hearings; Gus Courts and George Lee case, 1955.
Primarily marches, demonstrations, and meetings on civil rights issues. Includes images of the Silent Protest parade of 1917 (New York, N.Y.) and the Prayer Pilgrimage of 1957. Also includes color snapshots of the Selma, Ala., march of 1965. Miscellaneous subjects include a photo of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., speaking at a labor rally in New York, N.Y.; Korean War veterans picketing in front of the Robert E. Lee Hotel; branch members in Detroit, Mich., marching in a parade to protest segregation; several photos of Roy Wilkins celebrating his birthday at the 5th Statewide Fair Practices & Civil Rights Conference of 1966; NAACP executives Clarence Mitchell, Channing Tobias, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins, meeting with Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy about civil rights legislation. Includes snapshots documenting a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) sponsored memorial walk for slain civil rights activist William Moore, showing young civil rights activists walking and resting along the march route. Other civil rights leaders depicted include Martin Luther King, Jr., and A. Philip Randolph. 98 photographic prints. Organized into three subject categories: Civil rights conferences; Legislation and political action; Marches and rallies. Arranged chronologically within each category.
Includes NAACP staff and volunteers soliciting memberships at NAACP donation tables set up in the street; people posting membership signs at area beauty salons and barber shops; workers at NAACP offices answering phones; a parade and NAACP-sponsored rally in front of the Hotel Theresa. Some photos taken at the rally show a Black Muslim counterdemonstration with some people carrying signs depicting Patrice Lumumba and others with signs marked “Integration, no, separation yes.” Two images from this group depict Malcolm X talking with NAACP youth secretary Herbert Wright. Includes several photos of a celebrity, possibly Dinah Washington, talking with people at a NAACP membership table on the street, a few photos of A. Philip Randolph and Roy Wilkins at the rally. 15 contact sheets (363 images); 27 photographic prints. Organized into two categories: Contact sheets; Enlargements.
International activities, people, and places of interest to the NAACP.
Includes photos of the Conference Africaine Française in Brazzaville, some of which depict Charles DeGaulle and Governor-General Félix Eboué of French equatorial Africa; trade union leaders at meetings; West Indies National Council Vice President Richard Moore speaking at a meeting in San Francisco, Calif., on independence for the Caribbean and India; one photo shows Ralph Bunche at a United Nations meeting on Israeli-Jordan relations. 27 photographic prints. Organized chronologically.
Emphasis is on the countries of Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Liberia, and Nigeria. Subjects include: destruction and rebuilding after the Ecuador earthquake of 1949; Ethiopian priests at the Vatican; Ethiopian soldiers of the Italian army; views of Liberian President Edwin Barclay at official gatherings, and a few of U.S. ambassador to Liberia Edward Dudley; Haitian cultural and educational buildings; street scenes in Port-au-Prince; portraits of Haitian President Elie Lescot alone, and with his family at the Palace; portraits of other Haitian government and military officials; Walter White with U.S. military and Haitian government officials, possibly at ceremonies associated with the Haitian bicentennial of 1950. Photos of Nigeria include postcard views of the “capping” ceremony for Prince Falolu in Lagos and some city views of Ibadan; American soldiers watching Nigerian villagers dry cocoa beans and being greeted by villagers while touring a village marketplace. One photo of Roy Wilkins with Somali Youth League members. Also includes portraits of several African tribal chiefs; laborers in various countries, and general activities of village and city life. 154 photographic prints; 1 print (poster). Organized into four geographic categories: Africa (arranged alphabetically by country); South America (arranged alphabetically by country); West Indies (arranged alphabetically by country); Unidentified.
Photographs related to the NAACP's efforts to integrate the armed forces. African American contributions, both male and female, to the various branches of the armed services. The bulk documents World War II period.
Emphasis is on activities of the Army Nurses Corps and the Women's Army (Auxiliary) Corps at bases in Australia, England, France, and the United States. Activities include training, recruitment, clerical work, and recreation, such as army nurses playing cards and knitting, and a WAAC band in a parade. Includes portraits of officers and new recruits. Prominent people depicted include Mary McLeod Bethune at a National Civilian Advisory Committee luncheon, Fort Des Moines, Iowa; Joe Louis welcoming a group of new WAAC enlistees; and Walter White visiting the Fort Des Moines, Iowa, training center. 76 photographic prints. Organized into five subject categories: Army Nurse Corps; Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs), later called Women's Army Corps (WACs); Women in the Air Force (WAFs); Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES); Miscellaneous, Atlanta Army Services Forces Department.
Emphasis is on training classes and activities for Tuskegee Army Flying School and portraits of officers, cadets, and other personnel at Tuskegee. Includes five photos showing African American officers being held under arrest at Freemen Field, Ind., for refusing to comply with segregation policies imposed by the base. Includes a few photos of women--the post librarian and “Miss Tuskegee Army Air Field.” 41 photographic prints. Organized into three subject categories: General activities; Freeman Air Field mutiny; Individual and group portraits.
Emphasis is on training in the United States and active duty with the Air Services Command in England and Italy. Activities include aviation and mechanical training, recreation, transportation of supplies. Many portraits of soldiers and officers enlisted in the 13th and 15th Air Force, the 92nd Field Artillery, the 99th Fighter Squadron, and graduates of the Air Forces Training Command, as well as other service units. Post-World War II photos show the Berlin Air Lift of 1948 and document African American participation in this effort. Includes one photo of Mary McLeod Bethune reviewing a military parade held in her honor at MacDill Air Field, Tampa, Fla., and one photo of Joe Louis with soldiers of the 15th Air Force in Italy. 175 photographic prints. Organized into nine subject categories: Air Service Command Depot, England; Berlin Air Lift, Operation Vittles; 15th Air Force Service Command; Military decorations; 99th Fighter Squadron; Portraits; Recreation; Training; Miscellaneous.
Photos show soldiers stationed at bases and training camps in the United States and abroad. Subjects include soldiers receiving military decorations, training exercises, and work activities, such as constructing an air field in England, transporting supplies with the Transportation Corps, Port Battalion at the New York Port of Embarkation, repairing equipment and automobile engines. Some photos show soldiers at church services, reading, or involved in other leisure activities. Many photos of organized sports events including a track and field competition in Louisiana and Joe Louis in a boxing exhibition for the 5th Army in Italy; some group portraits of basketball teams. Units represented include an artillery battalion with the 8th Army in Japan; the Aviation Engineer Construction Battalion in England; several photos of the 93rd Infantry with combat teams on Bougainville Island (Papua New Guinea); the Quartermaster Corps; the Transportation Corps; the 92nd Infantry Division on maneuvers with the 5th Army in Italy; and the 94th Engineer Construction Battalion working on “Exercise Swarmer” in North Carolina, April 1950. Includes one photo of African American troops guarding German POWs in France, a photo of a victory parade in New York, N.Y., celebrating the return of the 332nd African American Fighter Group (Tuskegee Airmen). Prominent people represented include General Eisenhower talking with an African American private at an unidentified location on the Western Front; Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., being awarded Distinguished Service and Legion of Honor medals and shown with the 369th Artillery Regiment of the New York National Guard (NYNG), which he commanded in 1938. Includes individual portraits of soldiers and officers and some group portraits of companies. 289 photographic prints. Organized into ten subject categories: General activities; Japan, 8th Army; Military decorations; Swarmer; Port battalions; Portraits; Recreational activities; Theater of operations; Training; 369th Artillery Regiment, New York National Guard (NYNG).
Two photos show coastguardsmen at Pea Island Coast Guard Station working with a surfboat and a signalman sending a message; three portraits of coastguardsmen John W. Banks of Atlanta, Ga.; Willie Brown of Newark, N.J.; and Fred D. Campbell of Chadbourne, N.C. 5 photographic prints.
LOT 13108: Lot number not used
Photos show new recruits in combat training at Camp Lejuene, N.C.; recruits at drills or receiving medical exams; portraits of marine officer candidates enrolled at the Marine Training School, Quantico, Va.; portraits of Marine journalists, a boxer, and a track athlete; Private Jeff Smith receiving the Purple Heart; one photo of a Marine singing quintet. 16 photographic prints.
Photos (several on postcard mounts) show soldiers and nurses in various leisure activities at Red Cross service clubs and “clubhouses” in London, England; Leghorn, Italy; the South Pacific; and the United States. Includes some portraits of nurses and Red Cross directors; leisure activities and entertainment at USO service clubs in the United States, many of which show USO hostesses engaged in casual conversation or in social activities with soldiers. Includes a group portrait of a Salvation Army interracial women's club and social activities sponsored by the Theater Special Services. Prominent people represented in USO photos include Canada Lee and Raymond Massey performing a radio broadcast at an NBC studio; Charles Laughton at a camp show at Fort Lawton, Wash.; Alan Ladd visiting soldiers at a Station Hospital in Kearns, Utah; Jackie Robinson at a USO club in Daytona Beach, Fla. 58 photographic prints. Organized into five subject categories: Red Cross, Salvation Army; ca. 1945; Theater Special Services; USO; Miscellaneous or unidentified.
Photos show seamen performing work duties, leisure activities, training, and drilling on board naval vessels and at bases in Norfolk, Va.; Camp Robert Smalls, Great Lakes, Ill.; Hampton Institute, Hampton, Va.; and locations in Hawaii and Guam. Includes African American cadets in integrated classroom and training activities at the U.S. Naval Academy. Includes some photos of seamen in recreational activities--church services, reading, letter writing. Includes a photo of Joe Louis in a boxing exhibition at a USN base in North Africa. Two photos of sailors and civilians at an integrated dance sponsored by “messmen on the USS McCawley.” Includes photos of Navy Seabees constructing bunk beds; one photo of Seabee Marvin P. Smith, a New York City photographer, pictured with a film camera at a Naval photography training school. Portraits of enlisted men and officers, including the first African American Navy Lieutenant Edward Swain Hope; Jesse Leroy Brown, the first African American to receive wings from the Naval Aviation Cadet program; and Dorie Miller receiving the Navy Cross from Admiral Chester W. Nimitz at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1942. Other prominent people represented include Walter White (visiting an unidentified military base), Lester Granger (with officers at Pearl Harbor), and Hampton Institute President Dr. Malcolm S. MacLean. 111 photographic prints. Organized into eight subject categories: General activities; Military decorations; Portraits; Recreational activities; Reserves; Seabees; Training; U.S. Naval Academy.
Includes photos of East African troops training and at leisure, in Ceylon, and in active duty in Burma; two views of West African soldiers in India and in Burma; West Indian soldiers training in England. Includes a few photos of women recruits. Also includes two photos of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force--en route to England and in Italy. Some individual and group portraits. 44 photographic prints; 1 photomechanical print.
Photos show disabled veterans making “Buddy Poppies” for a charity sale at a New Jersey hospital and patients at veterans hospitals in Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Includes one photo of NAACP civil rights attorney, Jack Greenberg, with client Frank S. Cole, who was exonerated of mutiny charges filed against him during the war; one photo of a 96-year-old Spanish American War veteran. 8 photographic prints; 1 photomechanical print.
Stills from “Victory Loan Program” films:
Photographs and other visual materials that do not appear to relate to any of the above series or that lack sufficient identification to assign to a specific series. Included here are personal snapshot photos that belonged to Roy Wilkins. Although some of the individual images may relate to specific campaigns, groups are kept together to preserve their provenance.
Views of women in domestic settings: bottlefeeding infants (using disposable bottles) and cooking. Includes one photo of the “Shellie Nurser” kit showing presterilized collapsible and disposable bottles. 5 photographic prints.
Scenes of Arkansas flood area and residents, showing half-submerged houses and buildings, telephone poles, streets; several photographs show children playing in the flood waters. One photograph shows an African American woman, her four children, and a dog--flood victims--in a box car near Elaine, Ark. 12 photographic prints.
Informal portraits of groups and individuals relating to a Florida committee's investigation of the NAACP. Includes one photo of a U.S. post office. Includes one envelope addressed to Henry L. Moon, NAACP director of public relations (sent from Tampa, Fla., 11 Feb. 1957). 12 photographic prints.
Scenes showing interracial groups of all ages participating in various activities: art and dance classes, choirs, sports activities, family dinners, etc.--in the United States and in Germany. 16 photographic prints; 1 photomechanical print.
Winter scenes of flood area, victims, and relief at Paducah and Louisville, Ky., and at Memphis, Ark.--documenting the flooding of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Photos of tent camps, levees, and flood-damaged buildings. Includes snapshots of NAACP New York City office flying a banner that reads “A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY.” Also includes photographs taken at Livingston and Logan, Mont., and White Bear Lake, Minn. Prominent people include Mary McLeod Bethune, C.A. Franklin (in front of a
Photos showing art, art collections, exhibits, models, and artists and their studios. Artists whose work is represented include Paul Arlt, Richmond Barthé, Anne Beadenkopf, Peter Cohen, John O'Hara Cosgrave II, Allan Rohan Crite, Lee Hill, Melvin Gray Johnson, William H. Johnson, Horace Pippin, Caroline S. Rohland, Vandercook (possibly), Ali Warren, and Ellis Wilson. Includes photos of portrait paintings of NAACP officials, including Juanita Jackson Mitchell, Thurgood Marshall, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins. Also includes photographs of portraits of prominent African American scientists and entertainers. Includes two sets of prints issued by the Harmon Foundation: “Sculpture by Richmond Barthé,” and “Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin, Painted by Two Women Artists: Betsy Graves Reyneau and Laura Wheeler Waring.” Also includes photographs of artifacts in African art collections. 94 photographic prints; 41 photomechanical prints; 1 cyanotype. Organized into four subject categories: Art reproductions; Sculpture reproductions; Miscellaneous; Miscellaneous illustrations.
Photos showing youth groups and activities. Includes photos of Boy Scouts, 4-H Club groups, and the Stokowski Youth Orchestra. Includes photographs of Leopold Stokowski. 23 photographic prints. Organized into four subject categories: Boy Scouts; 4-H Club; National Youth Administration/Stokowski Youth Orchestra; Miscellaneous.
Includes publicity photos showing New York State historic documents displayed on the “Freedom Train,” a traveling exhibit on freedom in the United States; reproduction of a map of the underground railroad in Indiana; office interior and printing presses at unidentified location; NAACP staff Daniel E. Byrd at unidentified location, talking with woman identified as Selma Taylor; seven prints from original negatives found in an envelope marked “Bequest, Edward S. Kimbrough,” which show an unidentified man standing alone in a street; reproduction of a scene in the House of Representatives after passage of the amendment abolishing slavery in 1865; illustration page from a German periodical reproducing photos of lynchings and riots in the United States and a portrait of Franklin Roosevelt with a balloon caption in German: “I can hardly believe this kind of thing can happen in civilized society in the 20th century.” 31 photographic prints; 11 prints. Organized into five subject categories: Freedom Train; Identified miscellaneous; Unidentified; Oversize; John F. Kennedy.
Panels used as exhibit materials, ca. 1940-ca. 1960. Primarily photographs and photomechanical prints of NAACP staff, campaigns, and events, mounted on heavy board and used for exhibit purposes. Photos represent a broad range of NAACP administrative and civil rights activities. Mounted portraits of NAACP executive staff, civil rights leaders, and defendants in civil rights and criminal cases; some fundraising, and life membership campaign activities. 75 photographic prints. Organized into five subject categories: Individual portraits; Unidentified portraits; Group portraits; Campaigns; Miscellaneous.
Cartoon drawings, drawings for illustrations, prints, and panoramic photographs measuring over 28 inches that warrant item-level processing and cataloging--arranged in appropriate filing series described below.
2 illustration drawings: an illustration drawing of a lynching victim by an anonymous artist and a cover illustration for the
14 cartoon drawings related to lynchings, the South, and the NAACP.
2 engravings: a portrait of slave revolt leader Cinqué by John Sartain and “Immediate emancipation” by Stephen H. Gimber.
Supplementary Archives materials, 1930-1963, include paper printing plates, engraving plates, printing blocks (used in publishing the
Names of photographers and studios--and the cities and states in which they operated--are usually noted as they appear on the photographs (usually stamped or written on the versos). Corporate names appear in direct order; personal names in inverted order (i.e., filed by surname). Rectos and versos of photographs were microfilmed to capture information exactly as it appears on the photographs. To locate a specific photographer/studio, a user should consider all possible forms of entry (corporate and personal), browse the index under these forms, identify which LOT(s) contain photographs by that photographer/studio, then browse the relevant LOT on the microfilm to locate specific photographs that bear the markings of the specific photographer/studio. Since names are recorded more or less as they appear on the photos, variant name forms for a given photographer/studio may appear in different places in the index, i.e., they may file under different letters. For example: “Fred Harris Photos” will file under 'F' (as a corporate name) while “Harris, Fred” will file under 'H' (as a personal name). Variant forms of names with slight differences have been conflated in several cases. For example, “Acme,” “Acme News Pictures,” “Acme Newspictures,” “Acme Photo,” and “Acme Photoservice,” etc., have been conflated and file under the entry “Acme Newspicture/Acme Photo.” Initial articles in corporate names are ignored. For example, “The Blong's” files under 'B'. Entries appear in alphabetical order according to LC Filing Rules.
Papers of prominent NAACP activists and records of NAACP branches and adjuncts are listed below. An asterisk (*) following an entry denotes that a microfilm version is available in the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division.