I’ve long been a fan of the Negro Leagues. Whenever I’d come across a T-shirt or cap or any other paraphernalia (most of them never at auction), I’d snap it up. I’m not much of…
Auction Finds Posts
There is something familiar about the people in the artwork of Tom McKinney. The two elderly men pontificating on a stoop could be your uncles. The little girl with bold expressive eyes could be your…
George Floyd’s death links to a murderous past of lynchings
Posted in Black history, Death, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and history
I bought the newspaper at auction two years ago, but I just couldn’t bring myself to write about its contents. The stories on the front page were too horrific, too graphic, too painful. Every headline…
Early black designers fashioned their own space
Posted in Black history, Clothing, and Style
Fashion shows have always been a mainstay in the African American community. Even now, they are still being held as fundraisers for sororities, clubs, churches and other organizations. At auction a few years ago, I…
Robert Purvis, a black abolitionist you may have never heard of
Posted in Black history, Books, history, and slavery
I could tell that the book had some years on it because the pages had lost their white edges and the cover was frail. The discolored cover bore no title, just a fancy design in…
When I visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture a few years ago, I saw on a wall a short list of black photographers from years past. These were not the names…
There was nothing extraordinary about the black and white photos on the auction table. They were snapshots of a circus before the arrival of crowds ready for an afternoon of entertainment. They were most effective…
The sweet little doll had been mine for a long time. I remember the first time I saw her in a glass display case at the auction house. She was a mere babe, not because…
Richmond’s black patients had a friend in Maggie L. Walker in 1918 pandemic
Posted in African American women, Black history, Businesses, and Health & Medicine
As the flu pandemic raged, a desperate call went out in Richmond, VA, in the fall of 1918. White doctors needed volunteers, particularly nurses, to help care for the endless flow of sick patients at…
Hair-care labels by African American designer Charles Dawson
Posted in Art, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Uncategorized
It took a minute for the revelation to sink in. There in front of me were images of some of the hair-care product labels I had picked up years ago at a collectibles’ show. They…