Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum Search this
Extent:
1 Sound recording (open reel, 1/2 inch)
1 Sound recording (open reel, 1/4 inch)
2 Video recordings (VHS)
1 Video recording (MiniDV)
Type:
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Place:
Harlem (New York, N.Y.)
Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)
Washington (D.C.)
United States
Date:
1985
Scope and Contents:
Short film in which narrator provided the history of African American contributions to the film industry and portrayal of African Americans in film from the silent film era through the Harlem Renaissance. Includes images and clips from The Birth of a Nation, The Birth of a Race, By Right of Birth, The Homesteader, and The Scar of Shame. Includes work and contributions of Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, James Weldon Johnson, Oscar Micheaux, and Bill Foster, also known as William D. Foster, to the film industry.
Short film. Part of The Renaissance: Black Arts of the Twenties Audiovisual Records. AV003253-1 and AV003253-2: music only, no sound and/or very low volume sound between songs. AV003253-3: narraton only. AV003253-4: repetitious sound. AV003253-5: narration and music. Dated 19850906. AV003452: narration only, undated. AV002130 and AV002141: image and sound (narration and music) including movie clips, undated. AV005152: image and sound, original Dub from 3/4" [U-Matic] tape - remastered version, dated 19850905.
Biographical / Historical:
The exhibition - The Renaissance: Black Arts of the Twenties - showcased the evolution and achievements of the Renaissance, which was the explosion of literary, visual, performance, and cinematic creativity generated by black artists between the end of World War I and the early days of the Great Depression. Represented is the creativity of Marian Anderson, Richard Barthe, Countee Cullen, Aaron Douglas, Duke Ellington, Meta Warrick Fuller, Roland Hayes, Zora Neale Hurston, Malvin Gray Johnson, Alain Locke, "Jelly Roll" Morton, Paul Robeson, George Schuyler, and Wallace Thurman, among others. The exhibition, held at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, ran from September 1985 - December 1986.
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.
