Scope and Content Note
The collection features photographs by African American author and educator, Ralph Ellison, as well as images he created or collected. The collection contains a mix of formal portraits and snapshots of daily life. Images show the Ellison family, famed authors, artists, and civil rights activists, among others. Featured individuals include Ralph Ellison, his wife Fanny Ellison, Langston Hughes, Albert Murray, Ida Guggenheimer, Francis and Beatrice Steegmuller, and many more.
A large portion of the collection focuses on Ellison's time living in New York City, where he photographed city scenes with a focus on African American youth as well as views from his NYC apartment window of boats on the Hudson River. In addition to city snapshots, smaller portions of the collection focus on various speaking engagements, awards, events, and the public reception of his book Invisible Man. Photographs also show Ralph Ellison meeting President Lydon B. Johnson, his Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as attending graduation ceremonies and receiving honorary degrees from Wake Forest University, Grinnell College, and Rutgers University.
Snapshots depict Ralph and Fanny Ellison's lives before meeting in New York City. They also feature Ralph Ellison's hometown Oklahoma City, Ralph Ellison's studies at Tuskegee Institute (ca. 1933-1936), Fanny Ellison with her mentor James Weldon Johnson, and Fanny Ellison's creating the Negro People's Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Ralph and Fanny Ellison were lifelong supporters of the arts and theater. Ralph Ellison collected and displayed his art collection in his home, which is documented in many of the instant photographs (Polaroids). They were also avid gardeners at their Plainfield, Massachusetts house.
The photographs in this collection also document Ralph and Fanny Ellison's international vacations, which include trips to Austria, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and other countries. Ralph Ellison was a writer in residence at the American Academy in Rome, Italy (1955-1957) and recipient of the Rome Prize. He visited Tokyo, Japan as an American representative to the PEN International Congress of writers (1957).
The collection is primarily comprised of black and white and color photographs, including formal portraits, snapshots, photograph albums, contact sheets, and larger format photographic prints. Also included are color slides, clippings, postcards, drawings, and prints.
Series:
- LOT 15600 (F): Ralph Ellison Family Albums
Photographs show portraits of Ralph Ellison, his wife Fanny Ellison, as well as other family members and associates. Images also depict Ellison's domestic life and public appearances. LOT includes newspaper clippings and other ephemera collected by the Ellison family. - LOT 15601 (F) (H): Ralph Ellison, Family, Associates, and Events
Photographs and contact sheets show Ralph Ellison, his wife Fanny Ellison, their family, associates, and events. The primarily black and white photographs depict portraits, snapshots of domestic life, travel, Ellison's studies at Tuskegee Institute (now University), New York City, public events, professional activities, as well as Ellison's home and personal art collection. - LOT 15602 (F) (H): Ephemera, Prints, and Drawings Collected by Ralph Ellison and Family
The Ellison family collected items, including greeting cards, drawings, etchings, halftone prints, photographic paraphernalia, clippings, pamphlets, documents, a plaque, and other miscellaneous ephemera. Also contains depictions of theater, art reproductions, an Egyptian-style print, and a drawing of Ralph Ellison. - LOT 15603 (F): Postcards Collected by Ralph Ellison and Family
Items include postcards collected by Ralph Ellison and his wife Fanny Ellison, primarily as souvenirs from different countries such as Austria, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, and others. Many of the postcards depict art or museums from around the world, while a few depict famous individuals such as Richard Wright, Nina Simone, among others. Items also include postcards sent to the Ellison family. Nine postcards are annotated and/or postally used. - LOT 15604 (FM--F size) (FM--A size): Color Photographs of Ralph Ellison, Family, Associates, and Events
Photographs show Ralph Ellison, his wife Fanny Ellison, family, friends, associates, and events, including portraits, informal settings, cityscapes, and landscapes. Most of the images are snapshots and depict daily domestic life, particularly in New York City and Plainfield, Massachusetts. - LOT 15605 (FM--F size): Instant Photographs by Ralph Ellison and Family
Items include integral and peel-away instant photographs (primarily Polaroid) depicting various subjects such as flowers and plants, food, paintings, statutes, animals, boats, seasons, gardening, and the Ellison home and acquaintances. Approximately 100 photographs show Ralph Ellison and/or his wife Fanny Ellison, while over 500 photographs document the Ellison home and Ralph Ellison's art collection. - LOT 15606 (OSE): Posters Collected by Ralph Ellison and Family
The Ellison family collected items, including posters and a matted photograph collage tribute to Ralph Ellison. - LC-EL05 (FM -- F size): 35mm Color Slides
Slides show Ralph Ellison, his wife Fanny Ellison, family, friends, associates, and events, including daily life, informal settings, cityscapes, and landscapes. Some images include beach vacations, graduations, their New York City apartment, and house in Plainfield, Massachusetts. - LC-EL06 (FM -- AA size): 120 Medium Format Color Slides
Slides show Ralph Ellison, his wife Fanny Ellison, family, friends, associates, and events, including daily life, informal settings, cityscapes, and landscapes. Some images include Fanny Ellison's trip to Burma (Myanmar), Ralph Ellison's art collection, beach vacations, their New York City apartment, and house in Plainfield, Massachusetts.