Collections

This collection contains images of both African and African American individuals. The subjects photographed include military personnel, men, women, and children. Some individuals were photographed inside of a photographer's studio. The images vary in size and format and range in date from circa 1850s-1945. Each item has a description at the file level.

This collection documents the research, public service, and life of Ancella Bickley, writer, educator, speaker, and historian. Includes writings, research materials, and more, focusing on the history of African Americans in West Virginia and the black experience in West Virginia. Collected research materials are predominantly facsimiles. Printed formats include correspondence, clippings, interview transcripts, typescript writings, publications, pamphlets, ephemera, speeches, articles, military records, and more. Other formats include photographs, slides, and audiocassettes.

This collection contains a class-composite photograph documenting the graduating class of 1950 from the Sewing Program of the Booker T. Washington Night School in Norfolk, Virginia. The composite features formal studio portrait vignettes of more than seventy graduates, nearly all African American women, arranged in rows around a central image of the Booker T. Washington High School building and photographs of faculty and administrators. Each student is identified by name under their image. The image was taken by Modern Arts Studio, a professional photo studio on Church Street in Norfolk.

This collection contains the college scrapbook of Cora M. Aldridge, an African American student at Hartshorn Memorial College in Richmond, Virginia. Hartshorn Memorial College was a private college for African American women in Richmond, Virginia, active from 1883 until 1932, when it merged with Virginia Union University. The cover is titled "My Memories of School Days" in gilt. Alridge's name and her Vauxhall, New Jersey, address are written on the first endpage, as is the date of June 14, 1926. The content of the scrapbook chronicles Alridge's final year at Hartshorn. A photograph of Hartshorn, social and academic event programs, graduation cards, a flower, and newspaper clippings are tipped in and pasted throughout. The signatures of Cora's classmates, many with greetings and well wishes, are also present throughout the scrapbook. Cora describes her love for dancing, taking the streetcar, stealing food, going to shows in town, and other activities forbidden for students at the College. A tipped-in handwritten essay by Aldrige is titled "Do not simply be good – be good for something." There is a letter from 1956 relating to the 30th anniversary of the Class of 1926's graduation.

This collection contains a diary from an unknown female student attending Howard University in 1915. It measures 9 X 6 inches, and the pages are hole-punched and tied with a ribbon. The diary includes one tipped-in item and twenty-eight leaves with thirty-three of the pages written on. Most of the diary documents the last few days of May 1915, covering the writer's final days at Howard and reminiscing about her time at the university.

This addition to MSS 8870, Langston Hughes Collection, contains an 8" x 10" gelatin silver press photograph of Langston Hughes and Anna Land Butler, who is signing a book, surrounded by several Black female journalists. The land is likely signing her first book, "Album of Love Letters Unsent," published in 1952. Included with the picture is a typed caption identifying all the sitters and handwritten annotations indicating those who were deceased. Those identified in the photograph are Janice King, NYC; Conchita Nakatani, Philadelphia Courier Office; Mrs. Ryan, NYC; Jessie Vann, President and Treasurer, Pittsburgh Courier; Anna Land Bulter, Langston Hughes; and Gerri Major, Women's Editor, New York Amsterdam News. The photographer's name, James C. Cambell, is stamped on the back of the photograph.

This collection contains the constitution of the Locust Street Literary and Athletic Club of Hampton, Virginia. The document, dated July 22, 1910, is handwritten in graphite on three pages of lined paper. The preamble to the club's constitution states that they operate "to form a more perfect union, insure order, justice and tranquility and promote the highest intellectual and physical development of ourselves and of our race." This constitution contains 8 Acts: Act I details the structure of the organization, including the executive committee, officers, and legislative body; Act II sets age restrictions to 18 or older, limiting the club to thirty members, and details the election process for vacancies in the club; Act III establishes a joining fee of 25 cents, monthly dues of 10 cents, and unexcused absence fee of 5 cents; Act IV notes a schedule of weekly meetings during the summer and one afternoon each month dedicated to athletics; Act V outlines the governing body to consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Executive Committee of four, with elections held the fourth week of July of every year; Act VI says the Secretary shall keep a strict journal of the proceedings of each meeting; Act VII says the Treasurers accounts will be subject to inspection by the Executive Committee; Act VIII notes that a two-thirds vote of the society may amend the "This constitution."

This collection contains the college scrapbook of Louise Boyer who attended the School of Education at the Hampton Institute, now Hampton University, in Hampton, Virginia. Hampton Institute, a historically Black college, was founded in 1868 as the Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School by the American Missionary Association for the education of the formerly enslaved. Also included is an earlier collection of one scrapbook titled "Scrapbook of Louise Boyer at Hampton Institute. This scrapbook has more information about Hampton Institute included with Boyer's own scrapbook pages. There are pressed flowers, progams for music events and track meets, autographs, greeting cards, poetry, photographs, and newspaper clippings. There is also a poem dedicated to the memory of Hampton administrator Albert Howe.