Divisions of the Schomburg Center
The Photographs and Prints division contain both documentary and fine art photographs, which document the history and culture of people of African descent worldwide. Here you can find photos and stills from dance classes, dance performances, and even social dances from different time periods.
African-American Dance
Dancers performing the Cakewalk
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Dancers performing the Cakewalk" The New York Public Library Digital Collections
Lindy Hop showcase at the Renaissance Ballroom
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Lindy Hop showcase at the Renaissance Ballroom" The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Female dancer in flowered dress
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Female dancer in flowered dress" The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Pearl Primus performing her work "African Ceremonial"
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Pearl Primus performing her work "African Ceremonial"" The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Arthur Mitchell in George Balanchine's "Agon"
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Arthur Mitchell in George Balanchine's "Agon" " The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Photographic Collections
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater photograph collectionCall Number: Sc Photo Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater CollectionThe Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Photograph Collection documents the dance company's performers and performances. Photographs of performers include portraits of dance company director Alvin Ailey (1955-1980s), individual and group portraits of dancers, portraits of performance singers who accompanied the dancers, and a few snapshots of the dancers.
- Asadata Dafora photograph collection [graphic].Call Number: Sc Photo Asadata Dafora CollectionThe collection includes a series of individual and group studio portraits of Dafora and his dance troupe, depicting scenes from his work "Kykunkor," featuring Abdul Assen, Musu Esammi, and other unidentified dancers (1934); and individual and group portraits of Dafora and his Shogola Oloba Group on stage, including dancer Esther Rolle (1960)
- Black dance, 1955-1980; WIlliam R. Munroe (Photographer)Call Number: Sc Photo Portfolio (Munroe, W.R.)Depictions of dance studio rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and dance and musical productions featuring Black dancers and actors from the mid-1950s to 1980, consisting of candid shots and views of dancers, actors, choreographers, and composers either in rehearsal studios or during stage performances. Among the individuals depicted are actress Claudia McNeil; singer, dancer and actor Sammy Davis, Jr.; and dancers Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Carmen De Lavallade, Syvilla Fort and Geoffrey Holder.
- Charles "Cookie" Cook scrapbooks.Call Number: Sc Photo Charles “Cookie” Cook ScrapbooksScrapbooks depict aspects of the career of tap dancer Charles "Cookie" Cook during his later years from the mid-1970s to 1990, and portraits of entertainers who knew or worked with Cook from the 1930s to the 1980s. The collection consists of candid shots and views of Cook dancing solo or with other dancers, attending talks and social gatherings, on a film set, and with friends; group portraits showing Cook with dance partners, friends and touring groups; and individual and group portraits of mostly African American dancers, actors, vaudevillians, musicians and singers.
- Katherine Dunham portrait collection [graphic].Call Number: Sc Photo Dunham KatherineViews of dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham. Portraits are quarter, half and full-length taken approximately between 1940 and 1980. Collection includes shots of Dunham in and out of dance costumes, alone and with other dancers; performing on stage; on location during filming of various projects
- Les Ballets nègres photograph collection.Call Number: Sc Photo Les Ballet Negres CollectionDepictions of dancers, musicians, and some productions of Les Ballets Nègres from the mid-1940s to the early 1950s. The collection consists of two undated studio portraits of the company's co-founder Berto Pasuka that include his portrayal of a voodoo priest in the production "Blood"; publicity photographs from the productions "Cabaret-1920" and "They Came" (ca. 1946
- Portraits of dancers [graphic].Call Number: Sc Photo DancersPhotographs of African American and African dancers, dating from the 1940s to the 1990s. Items consist of studio portraits and a few candid shots. Included are images of Asadata DaFora, Donald McKayle, Norma Miller, and André de Shields.
Actress Dorothy Dandridge (left) with dance instructor Olga Lunick, circa 1951.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Actress Dorothy Dandridge (left) with dance instructor Olga Lunick, circa 1951." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1951.
- Djola Branner Photograph CollectionCall Number: Sc Photo Djola Branner CollectionCollection depicts aspects of the career of dancer, actor and playwright Djola Branner from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Group portraits showing Branner with fellow actors and friends; views of Branner teaching dance classes; publicity photographs and views of rehearsals for a dance production
- Pearl Primus photograph collectionCall Number: Sc Photo Pearl Primus CollectionThe Pearl Primus Photograph Collection dates from the 1940s to the 1980s and reflects aspects of Pearl Primus's career as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and anthropologist. Photographs document Primus and others in performance, her role as a dance educator, and her travels to Africa to research its culture and dances.
Notable Collections
Helen Armstead Johnson Photograph Collection
Helen Armstead Johnson was the founder and director of the Armstead-Johnson Foundation for Theater Research, whose purpose was to collect, preserve, document and exhibit African American contributions to the American stage. The Helen Johnson Photograph Collection was collected by Johnson while researching the contributions to the stage by African American. This collection has dance material in formats such as
- Postcards
- Photographs
- Prints
- & more
The entire collection, consisting of several thousand photographs, posters, letters, scrapbooks, costumes and costume designs, recordings and other memorabilia, was donated to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in December 1996.
Contact sheet displaying portraits of "Shuffle Along" cast and crew, including Lottie Gee, Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Flournoy Miller, and Aubrey Lyles
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Contact sheet displaying portraits of "Shuffle Along" cast and crew, including Lottie Gee, Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Flournoy Miller, and Aubrey Lyles" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1921.
Destiné in Witch Doctor
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Destiné in Witch Doctor" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1952.
Joe Nash Black Dance Photograph Collection
Joe Nash was a dancer, black dance historian, coordinator of black dance history courses at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School in New York. The Joe Nash Black Dance Photograph Collection was compiled by Nash to document and acknowledge the contributions of black dancers, choreographers and dance companies from the 1930s to the 1980s. The photograph collection consists of studio and candid portraits, views of rehearsals, and views of performances.
Some of the dance styles depicted include
- Ballet
- Modern
- African and African interpretive
- Theatrical dance.
The photograph collection consists of three distinct series
- The Dancers Series: representing African-American dancers and choreographers, consists of individual and group studio portraits, candid portraits, and views of performances.
- The Dance Companies Series: represents mostly African-American dance companies, many based in New York City
- The Dance Styles Series: represents a number of historical, theatrical and international dance styles that depict individual dancers, groups of dancers, and dance companies, either American or from other countries