Photographic postcards of cakewalk dancers in France
Overview
Collection of picture postcards of cakewalk dancers in France.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1900-1905
Condition Description
In good condition.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Extent
.08 linear feet (1 volume)24 silver gelatin photographic postcards depicting cakewalk dancers, both men and women, in France, most at the Nouveau Cirque in Paris. 18 of the postcards were produced to accompany a short film on the dance. Postcards are captioned.
Biographical / Historical
The cakewalk dance developed at the time of emancipation of enslaved persons at American southern plantations and had its first public showing in 1876; the dance was celebrated with the award of a cake. The dance went on to become a feature of most American minstrel shows.
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Custodial History
Ownership of the collection prior to this acquisition is unknown.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
2021MT-25. Purchased from Auger Down Books with the Frank E. Chase Bequest, 2021 February 15.
Processing Information
Collection is minimally processed (Melanie Wisner, 2021 April).
- Title
- Photographic postcards of cakewalk dancers in France, circa 1900-1905 (MS Thr 2096): Guide
- Status
- completed
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard University
- Date
- 2021 March 25
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- hou03372
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.
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