As I flipped through a box of auction items I didn’t remember buying, I came upon a bulging tan envelope with a Christmas wreath at the top and the names of African American organizations under…
Category: Ephemera/Paper/Documents
Reproduction prints are Charles White’s nod to the masses
Posted in Art, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
I was rummaging through the loads of documents, photos and other papers I’ve picked up at auction over the years and found a portfolio of four reproduction prints by African American artist Charles White. They…
1923 ‘Simms’ Blue Book’ of accomplished African Americans
Posted in Black history, Books, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
The book was titled “Simms’ Blue Book,” but its color was a faded blue and its cover was pockmarked with stains. It looked perfect when I saw it on the auction-house website, and just looking…
Wow, I thought as I saw the bold figure of a lion drawn in deep dark colors that seemed to glisten on the page in front of me. I had asked the auction-house staffer for…
Famous Native American chiefs on early cigarette “silks”
Posted in collectibles, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, history, and Native Americans
When I see items at auction about Native Americans, I’m drawn to them as much as I am to those pertaining to African Americans. We both share a history in this country that has not…
Comical age-guessing game promotes early want ads
Posted in Advertising, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Games
As soon as I saw the first few lines on the folded and wrinkled sheet of paper, I figured the rest was tongue-in-cheek: IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT YOUR GIRL’S AGE, There was a…
Hoping for – but not getting – a big win at “Antiques Roadshow”
Posted in Antiques, Appraisals, collectibles, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Native Americans
The appraiser looked a bit tired and seemed indifferent. He watched as I approached the table but he didn’t lean forward in a welcoming gesture. It was closing in on 12 noon, and the “Antiques Roadshow” had been…
Victorian fashion plates show early women’s styles
Posted in Clothing, collectibles, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Women
The American magazines bore such names as Godey’s Lady’s Book, Mme. Demorest’s Mirror of Fashions and Peterson’s Magazine. Within their covers, women of means could see some of the latest styles, many of them representative of French designs. These…
My first look at Ebony’s first issue, Nov. 1945
Posted in Black history, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
The Ebony magazine cover showed a black boy haloed by a group of white boys about the same age. There was nothing threatening about the photo: In a show of harmony, one white kid was hugging…
Family artifacts that may be worthy of history & cash
Posted in Black history, civil rights movement, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Photos
few years ago, I bumped into an African American woman who told me that her aunt was a member of the Women’s Army Corp during World War II. I knew that there were not many…