The account of the Hearings before the United States Commission on CIVIL RIGHTS Vol. 1 - Voting, held in February 16-20,1965 in Jackson Mississippi

“Employment of Laborers of African Extraction in the Island of St. Croix”, 37th Congress. June 6, 1862

Hon. John P. Hale (NH) "The Wrongs of Kansas", given Feb. 26, 1856

Speech before Congress, "No Slavery in Nebraska: No Slavery in the Nation: Slavery an Outlaw" by Gerrit Smith, April 6, 1854

U.S. Congressional Census (1854 edition). This volume detail the exact number of slaves, mulattoes, and free blacks in the country

1852 speech of Hon. Charles Sumner to Repeal The Fugitive Slave Bill, delivered in the Senate, August 26, 1852

31st Congress, 2nd Session. Message Of The President Of The Unites States, communicating , In compliance with a resolution of the Senate, a report of the Secretary of State, with documents relating to the African Slave Trade. December 17th, 1850.

August, 1850 -- Proceedings of the Senate on the Fugitive Slave Bill, the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the District of Columbia and the Imprisonment of Free Colored Seamen in Southern Ports

“Rights of Congress to Legislate for the Territories of the US, and its Duty to Exclude Slavery Therefrom”, by Horace Mann (MA) June 30, 1848

30th Congress 1st Session - House Of Reps. "Slavery Resolutions of the Legislature of New York", February 1848

Legislature of Connecticut in Relation to Slavery" -- 24th Congress, December, 1847

"The True Grandeur of Nations", Charles Sumner's first major speech (delivered in Boston), July 4th, 1845.

"Message from The President Of The United States transmitting Copies of dispatches from the American minister at the court of Brazil, relative to the Slave Trade." 29th Congress - February 20, 1845

26th Congress 1stSession - Message from the President Of United States. "Information in relation to the abuse of the flag of the United States in subservience to the African Slave Trade, and the taking away of slaves the property of Portuguese subjects". March 14,…

24th Congress 1st Session - Legislature Of Kentucky - "Resolutions Respecting Abolition Societies" 1836 Government Document.

“Suppression of the Slave Trade”, 19th Congress - House Of Representatives, May 22, 1826

Speeches and Congressional Reports -- Genuine Congressional Pamphlets

Rare message Of The United States transmitting a report of Secretary of State "Relating To Negotiations For The Suppression of the Slave Trade", Jan 15, 1821

Original 1950s Father Divine booklet and photo. Father Divine (c. 1880 – September 10, 1965)

Williams' Original Dixie Jubilee Singers magazine

"Between You and Me" First Edition copy signed by Pearl Bailey (1989)

Two original watercolor paintings of "Negroes" by London-born painter, Robert Lee (ca. 1820)

Very rare uncut sheet (4-1/2" x 6") of 12 Porter slave tags, Charleston, VA -- made from lead, dated 1856

Young Christian Worker, Oct, 1918 - A small missionary magazine illustrated with many African American photos.

Anti Slavery Struggle with Orations -- 1884, 314 pages. Book contains copies of some of the great speeches.

The rare Methodist Magazine for 1798 printed by Henry Tuckniss, containing many sermons and poetry (some about Slavery)

Original print/frame of Maj Gen Charles Cotesworth Pinckney -- Pinckney Treaty with Spain legally affected Amistad situation

July 9, 1938 Liberty Magazine featuring article, "How It Feels To Be A Negro" by Walter White

Period 8x10 color photo of Rosa Parks' arrest, December 1955

Rare signed First Edition copy of Edward Matthew's autobiography of (1866)

Certified framed remnant of the leather driver's seat of the actual bus Rosa Parks sat in in December, 1955

Original 1775 document number of whites, free mulattos, free blacks & slaves in various towns of Cuba

20-page 1893 article, "Slavery and the Slave Trade in Africa by Henry M. Stanley, illustrated by famed Frederic Remington

Original 1778 document -- census of whites, free mulattos, free blacks & slaves in various towns of Porto (Puerto) Rico

Unusual Staffordshire pottery figurine of John Brown and 2 small Black children , 6" tall

Story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers and their Songs (four First Edition copies)

Paul Robeson and Lawrence Brown program (London, 1938)

110 issues of 1833 Philadelphia's National Gazette and Literary Register newspaper (Jan - June)

The Colored Embalmer Magazine, Number Five (Chicago), 1928

The Black Slaves of Prussia, An Open Letter Addressed to General Smuts by Frank Weston, Bishop of Zanzibar

Some Account Of The Life Of Captain Paul Cuffee. Published by the Tract Association Of Friends, 1887

National Association Of Negro Musicians Program (NANM) at the Metropolitan Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., July 11, 1937

Vintage 1956 Lionel Hampton Program (UK) signed by Herbert Hogan (drums), Retney Bauer (tenors) & Scoville Browne( clarinet)

Vintage August 1776 The Lady's Magazine (published in England), with intriguing article "The Origin of Blacks"

"The Negro In Our History" by Carter G. Woodson. Published by Associated Publishers, Washington, D.C.

Cotton Club Menu and Program featuring Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers, 1930s

Handwritten letter by Joe Clark (Lean On Me)

1860 original engraving, "View of San Domingo, Hayti" (from the Harbor). Hand colored in line-wash mount

Vintage sheet music (1946) for the song "HEY! BA-BA-RE-BOP" by Lionel Hampton

Hand written letter signed by abolitionist/actress Fanny Kemble, with steel engraving of her likeness

Signed Lofton Mitchell Theatre program (2 copies), "Blood In the Night"

Actual poster of a Harlem Globetrotters game in San Francisco, 1957

1933 "Sophisticated Lady", Duke Ellington sheet music

$1000 check made out to CASH signed by Roots author, Alex Haley, Norris, TN (1988)

London Illustrated News engraving of Africa's East Coast Slave Port, Mombassa, Kenya, 1875

Extremely rare (signed) poem by Countee Cullen, 20 years of age (Dec. 12, 1923) -- "When I Am Dead"

Two postcards (1913) written and signed by William R. Morris, Fisk U. Professor and 1st Black lawyer in MN

Civil War era letter from Troy Seminary (NY) referencing Rev. Beecher's talk at the school about John Brown

Early full leather copy of The Life and Posthumous Writings of William Cowper by William Hayley, 1805

1934, 1st Edition -- "Six Plays For A Negro Theatre", Walter Baker Company (pub.), by Randolph Edmonds

Signed Programs (3) and ticket from Louis Armstrong's famous British Tour, July 5, 1958

Genuine First Edition of "David Livingstone's Travels and Researches in South Africa", 1858

About 75 postal First Day Covers (FDC) from around the world depicting African history

Lenox, MA document mentioning a free Black man, Jerry Kotter (possibly fought in Revolutionary War), 1823

1820s Affidavit (Will) regarding the disposition of slaves, Campbell County, VA

Original Government Printing Office Anti-Segregation poster, 1943. First one ever printed

1820s Affidavit (Will) regarding the disposition of slaves, Campbell County, VA

Small, late 1800s British china pot with John Brown's home pictured on it

Sketches of the Rise, Progress and Decline of Secession, by W.G. Brownlow, 1862

Several scarce 1936 German Olympic photo albums, with pictures of Jesse Owens

Hand written essay "The Constitution and Slavery", by L. Moore (1923?), Voorhees School, Denmark, SC

Hand written/signed letter by noted abolitionist, Charles Sumner, March 26, 1870, with CDV

NBA Basketball shoes signed by Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Chris Webber, Michael Jordan, and many others

Boxing gloves and hand written/signed letter by Muhammad Ali

Scarce Isabel Smith Colored Women's Club receipt book

Mills Brothers signed unpublished photo, 40s

First Edition book, Too Loo Byrd: Negro Waif, signed by author

Several First Edition book of Poetry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, with his Slavery Poems

Many 16 MM films about slavery, Black History, Cab Calloway, Harlem Globetrotters, Jesse Owens, etc.

Innocents Abroad: The New Pilgrim's Progress by Mark Twain, First Edition, 1869

Alexandre Dumas: His Life and Works, First Edition

Receipt for work done by Pompy Skidmore, a free Negro, Albany New York Hospital--March 13,1784

Mid 1800s hand-written poem, "The Negroes Complaint" (poem by Cowper)

--  M O R E   I T E M S --

"Roots" First Edition (2 copies), signed by Alex Haley, 1976

Black History Postcards

British Foreign Office Anti-Slavery Circular, 1843.

This ticket was held by someone in the stands witnessing Jesse Owens winning his Gold Medal for the 200m race at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin on August 5th

Anthony Benezet, (1852 engraving)
 (One of the early American Abolitionists)

Williams Jubilee Singers, Sheet Music, early 1900s

St. Bartolome Hospital's slave roster (14 pages, Peru), 1811

Proud Chief from Proud Chief from Madagascar, late 1800sMadagascar, late 1800s

1619 Document from Bolivia mentioning the sale of Manuel, a slave -- with glimpses into colonial life.

Jet Magazine (September 21, 1978) with pictured article, "Eldridge Cleaver Designs Pants for Men Only" -- Article starts on page 22, and goes on to detail his fashion designs. "Unlike other pants on the market, the pants that Cleaver designs and sells are tailored…

Eldridge Cleaver's frequent personal and political reinventions fascinated -- and sometimes appalled -- the public. Having come to prominence in the late 1960's as the author of ''Soul on Ice'' and as the mediagenic mouthpiece for the Black Panthers, Cleaver, who …

The genuine prototype of anatomically-enhanced underwear designed by former Black Panther leader, Eldridge Cleaver, for his fashion line of Eldridge de Paris clothing. This pair of underwear was donated to the Collection by Pat Matrisciana. Pat was the gentleman w…

William was born into slavery in Lexington, Kentucky. His mother Elizabeth was owned by Dr. Thomas Young and had seven children, each by different fathers. (In addition to William, her children were Solomon, Leander, Benjamin, Joseph, Milford, and Elizabeth.) Will…

William Wells Brown (November 6, 1814 – November 6, 1884) was a prominent African-American abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian. Born into slavery in the Southern United States,  Brown escaped to the North in 1834, where he worked for aboliti…

First edition hardback book by William Wells Brown (1814? - 1884) is titled The American Fugitive in Europe: Sketches of Places and People Abroad.  With a Memoir of the Author.  It was published in 1855 by John P Jewett and Company of Boston in 1855.  This is an e…

Five Scenes of Slavery. Steelplate engraving by Henry Winkles (1849) depicting the punishment of black slaves in the Southern States of the USA. From Bilder-Atlas zum Conversations-Lexikon (F.A.Brockhaus), 1849. Henry Winkles, had previously gone to Germany in 182…

Afrikanische Volker (African People). An early chromolithgraphic book plate depicting various tribes throughout the continent of Africa. Circa 1896.

In the decades following the Civil War, over a half-million blacks (and an even larger number of whites) migrated from the American South to the North and West.  A concentrated and notable period of this black exodus occurred in the late 1870s and early 1880s, an …

ENGRAVING: The Negro Exodus : The old style and the new. Published Date: 1880 (9 3/4 x 14 in.). From Harper's weekly : a journal of civilization. (New York : Harper' s Weekly Co., 1880).

1856 Porter Slave Tags (Charleston, SC). Sheet of 12 on lead. Slave tags were only issued by the city of Charleston and Charleston Neck (SC) from 1800 to 1865. BACKGROUND: Slave tags were a form of licenses issued to slave owners who leased out their slaves for sp…

Araminta Ross was born a slave in Bucktown, Maryland about the year 1820.  She would later take her mother's name, Harriet, and in 1844 she would marry a free black man named John Tubman.  Five years later, in 1849, fearing that she would be sold further south, Ha…

Harriet "Moses" Tubman bronze figure (16" tall) created by DuBois (above) from the famous image of Harriet published in Sarah H. Bradford's 1869 book about her. A 3-dimensional image of Harriet Tubman in her Civil War scout uniform

Bronze image by DuBois of slave-holder whipping his slave for spilling the contents of a basket (16" tall, with heavy marble base).
SCULPTOR: Often described as a quiet, humble man, Jess E. DuBois paints every day. In a testimony to the cultural diversity that has…

ENGRAVING: View of the Slave Coast, East Africa. Various views that slave ships would have seen as they approached the coast to pick up more slaves.
 -- Genuine Slave shackles for wrists or ankles from Ghana's Slave Castle. The elders of the town allowed these sha…

ENGRAVING: Scene on a West Indian Plantation -- Slaves Receiving the News of Their Emancipation. Emancipation Day – Friday, 1 August 1834 – was celebrated throughout the British Caribbean at chapels, churches and government-sanctioned festivals, some of which were…

ed Toddy was a movie executive, entrepreneur and showman. He first worked for Universal Pictures and later for the Southern division of Columbia Pictures before forming what would later become the Atlanta-based Toddy Pictures Company, devoted to the production and…

A number of movie theater lobby cards, posters and inter-office memos from the Toddy Pictures Company during the 1940s. Plus there are hand-written notes, perhaps from Henry R. Arias (Astor Export Corp), detailing plans for the implementation of an exclusive three…

The author was a remarkable individual often called "The Father of the Underground Railroad". He was an abolitionist, historian, and also had a small coal business. He was born to ex-slaves in New Jersey. He is credited with helping hundreds of slaves (as many as …

First edition copy of a book by William Still. THE UNDERGROUND RAIL ROAD. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1872.  (entered into Library of Congress 1871). Thick 8vo; hardbound in the original cloth-covered boards; frontis portrait of Still with tissue guard; all pla…

The following is additional information on Seaman's Protection Papers:
Seamen's Protection Certificates were usually printed documents, varying in size and style, that were carried by American seamen as proof of citizenship. The certificate was obtained by the indi…

In September 1838 Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery. In in that same year (1838), the Douglasses settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where Douglass found work as a caulker for whaling ships. It was at that time that he dropped the name "Bailey," in order …

These Protection Papers were essentially passports issued to American sailors to protect them from impressment into the Royal Navy of Great Britain.  This particular Protection Paper is noteworthy since it was issued and signed by Rodney French who was a prominent…

An original 1843 Seaman's Protection Certificate from the District of New Bedford in Massachusetts, signed by Quaker Abolitionist and employer of Frederick Douglass, Rodney French.  This is Protection Certificate number 1233 dated 14th November 1843. This is a pri…

The life and adventures of Henry Bibb is among the most remarkable slave narratives. Born on a Kentucky plantation in 1815, Bibb first attempted to escape from bondage at the age of ten. He was recaptured and escaped several more times before he eventually settled…

Scarce first edition (1849) antiquarian book, "Narrative of the Life of Henry Bibb." First published in 1849 and largely unavailable for many years. An extremely important story. Reader's Copy -- This book is in poor condition, but it is a fascinating object that …

TWO COMPLETE ORIGINAL NEWSPAPERS, the NEW YORK DAILY GRAPHIC (NY City, pictured above) dated Jan 27th & 28th, 1882. The NY Daily Graphic was the first daily American newspaper with daily illustrations. These two issues contain an inside, double page woodcut illust…

Gary Blevins (a plethora of "Toddy Pictures" film company dedicated to "race" films in the 1940s)

Jon Christiana (1854 -- William A. Dearing,  a physician's hand-written ledger detailing his $2 charges for helping 5 different "negro" women)

Christian Van den Broeck (two foreign 78rpm records by Josephine Baker and Rex Stewart and his Footwarmers)

Stephen Dankwah (authentic slave shackles used by his ancestors to hold African slaves at the Slave Coast and Elmina slave castles in Ghana)

Jack & Kathy Spencer (scrimshaw of four African slaves and a slave ship on an 18th Century whale's tooth)

Dr. Joanna Kirkpatrick (vintage sheet music copy of The Verdict March-1882)

Mark E. Mitchell (signed Frederick Douglass document and 1748 Barbados invoice for sugar, produced by slaves, being shipped to Philadelphia)

Gerry Slessinger (set of authentic, vintage slave shackles from the Congo region and also a British Slave ad)

Martha Ann Simmons (historic cards/items of African American history)

  1. Tears down barriers between Blacks and Whites, young and old...
  2. Opens hearts and changes minds...
  3. Surrounds Black people with their ancestors, giving a sense of awe and wonderment for people of all nationalities and ethnicities...
  4. Causes people to…

Who was the African American juror in the 1882 trial for Guiteau, the one who assassinated President Garfield?

What is the oldest piece (1553) in this collection?

Who employed Frederick Douglass as a ship caulker in New Bedford, MA?

What is the name and story of the slave owned by a Native American Indian in Louisiana?

How did the term "Jim Crow" get started?

Who helped the escape of the first black man to be seized in New England under the Fugitive Slave Act?

Who had his heart buried in Africa and his body buried in Westminster Abbey almost a year later?

How did George Washington's visit to Barbados (1751-51) impact the outcome of the Revolutionary War?

Out 44 States reporting lynchings, how many States reported more whites being lynched than blacks?

What US industry employed over 3,000 African Americans (1/6 of labor force) from 1803-1860?

What slave won his freedom in a Louisville, KY horse race...36 years before the Kentucky Derby?

What sponsored the "three-fifths" concepts regarding slaves in the South?

What was the primary catalyst behind the mass exodus of Blacks from the Republican Party after 1922?

What is the true history behind the African American lawn jockey images?

How many compositions could "Blind Tom" play on the piano?

How did a famous British actress effect the outcome of the Civil War?

Who was the emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 to 1868 and what did he accomplish?

How did a famous British actress effect the outcome of the Civil War?

What is the oldest identifiable slave ship wreck in the world?

Who were the early Lindy Hoppers?

What was Frederick Douglass doing in Dundee, Scotland in 1846?

What role did the Royal African Company play in the African Slave Trade?

What was the name of one of the Life Insurance companies that insured the slaves brought over from Africa

What was Pearl Bailey paid for her role in the film, Porgy and Bess?

Who published 16 volumes of Black History comics from 1966-1977?

Who manufactured a line of beauty products for Black women before Madam C. J. Walker?

Was Alexander Dumas (Three Musketeers, Count of Monte Cristo, etc.) of African descent?

What was the name of the first recorded song (1926) in which Louis Armstrong actually sang?

View the "You Be The Judge" mystery piece. Could this be a lost painting of Harriet Tubman?

What was the first book written by an African American?

Charles E. Rosenberg wrote a book in 1968 titled, "The Trial of the Assassin Guiteau: Psychiatry and the Law in the Gilded Age" (University of Chicago Press). Rosenberg wrote the following:

Ralph Wormley, colored, a plasterer for the Pension Bureau, expressed what…

An extremely rare copy of The Verdict March by Eugene L. Blake and published by F. W. Helmick in 1882 (donated by Dr. Joanna Kirkpatrick). Charles Julius Guiteau (September 8, 1841 – June 30, 1882) was an American lawyer who assassinated U.S. President James A. Ga…

James L. Farmer, Jr. was born in 1920 in Marshall, Texas to James L. Farmer, Sr., a professor at Wiley College, a historically Black College. His father was an American author, theologian, educator, and the first African-American from Texas to earn a doctorate (at…

Autographed copy of Lay Bare the Heart, an Autobiography of the Civil Rights Movement by James L. Farmer, Jr. New York. Arbor House. 1985. Hard cover. Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. DJ is worn at edges. The author, a founder of CORE, sets the record straight …

Former NBA player Manute Bol died June 19, 2010 at the age of 47. Many know him only because of his basketball career and because of his astounding height -he was 7′ 7″. But there was a lot more to the Sudanese star. Here is a tribute that was written before his d…

One hundred genuine copies of Manute Bol's Memorial Service at the Washington National Cathedral on June 29, 2010.

A pair of basketball shoes worn by Manute in an actual NBA game in 1987, signed by #10, Manute Bol.

ABOUT BOOK: A classic of American political fiction first published in 1880, a mere three years after Reconstruction officially ended, Bricks Without Straw offers an inside view of the struggle to create a just society in the post-slavery South. It is unique among…

Rare edition of "Bricks Without Straw," a Novel by Albion W. Tourgee, LLD (Late Judge of the Superior Court of North Carolina, Author of A Fool's Errand). Publisher:   Fords, Howard & Hulbert. Assuming to be a First Edition but not stated. Copyright Date: 1880 wit…

Speech of Hon. Howell Cobb, 1856. 16pp, 8vo, on the Resolutions reported by the Select Committee to investigate the alleged assault upon Senator Sumner by Mr. Brooks in the House of Representatives, July 10, 1856. This speech regards the physical assault on Senato…

Subduing Freedom in Kansas", Report of the Congressional Committee, July 1, 1856

The Border Ruffian Code in Kansas", May 1856

Hon. Charles Sumner (MA) "The Apologies for the Crime Against Kansas: The True Remedy", given May 19 and 20, 1856

Hon. Charles Sumner (MA) "The Crime Against Kansas", given May 19, 1856 -- Passionate Anti-Slavery speech
(The speech that led to the near-fatal beating of Sumner at the hands of Congressman Preston Brooks -- 3 year recuperation, with some time spent in Europe.)

Theodore Parker: (August 24, 1810 – May 10, 1860) was an American Transcendentalist, abolitionist, and reforming minister of the Unitarian church. Parker's own words and quotes he popularized would later influence Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. In 185…

1866 Dutch book about Theodore Parker, a famous American abolitionist heavily involved in the Anti-Slavery movement in the United States. A biography in French was published in 1863 by the French Protestant theologian, Albert Reville, that obviously tied in with t…

Edward C. Cooper founded the Indianapolis Freeman, the first black illustrated newspaper, in 1888. It was the VERY FIRST National Black illustrated newspaper and its motto (in the masthead) reads: "A National Colored Weekly Newspaper." Subsidized by the Republican…

An April 29, 1905 edition of The Freeman newspaper. with article about "The Jim Crow Negro." In the article, the author is describing the recently published 12-page booklet by J.W. Cromwell by the same title. In it the writer states, "The author...does not claim t…

JIM CROW LAWS: The phrase "Jim Crow Law" first appeared in 1904 according to the Dictionary of American English, although there is some evidence of earlier usage. The origin of the phrase "Jim Crow" has often been attributed to "Jump Jim Crow," a song-and-dance ca…

Dr. Davis goes on to say: Some historians believe that a Mr. Crow owned the slave who inspired Rice's act--thus the reason for the Jim Crow term in the lyrics. In any case, Rice incorporated the skit into his minstrel act, and by the 1850s the "Jim Crow" character…

The first time Rice performed this song was in an old theatre on Fifth Street in Pittsburgh. The effect was electric. The thunderous applause that followed was never heard before within the shell of that old theatre. With each succeeding couplet and refrain the up…

HISTORY ABOUT JIM CROW -- Dr. Ronald L.F. Davis states: The term Jim Crow is believed to have originated around 1830-32 when a white, minstrel show performer, Thomas "Daddy" Rice, blackened his face with charcoal paste or burnt cork and danced a ridiculous jig whi…

This book is an entire history, up until the year it was printed, of the Minstrel Stage and the most notable Blackface Performers. Blackface was an important performance tradition in the American theater for roughly 100 years beginning around 1830.  In both the Un…

Monarchs of Minstrelsy -- Extremely rare book that provides some clues about the beginnings of the term, "Jim Crow." Original 1911 FIRST EDITION of “Monarchs of Minstrelsy” by Edw. Le Roy Rice. The book was published by Kenny Publishing Company.  The book measures…

Dr. Jacques Faitlovitch (1881-1955), was an Orientalist, devoted to Beta Israel (Falasha) research and relief work. He made 11 missions to Ethiopia. In 1904 he went to Ethiopia for the first time and spent 18 months among the Beta Israel, studying their beliefs an…

This historically significant lecture given by the Chief Rabbi of Florence, influential religious figure at the time and foremost supporter of Falasha Jews, marks the beginning of Pro-Falasha committees established by Margulies, under the advocacy of Faitlovitch f…

La Solidarieta Israelitica e i Falascia. First Edition published in 1907. [translation of title] Israelite Solidarity and the Falasha. Controversial lecture by an Orthodox Rabbi and scholar on behalf of the Ethiopian "Falasha" Jews delivered in the Great Jewish Sy…

Dr. Samuel Hirsch Margulies (1858-1922), was an Orthodox Rabbi and a scholar. He was born in Berezhany, western Ukraine (then mainly Polish speaking town with mixed Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish population in the kingdom of Galicia of Austro-Hungarian Empire), and …

This historically significant lecture given by the Chief Rabbi of Florence, influential religious figure at the time and foremost supporter of Falasha Jews, marks the beginning of Pro-Falasha committees established by Margulies, under the advocacy of Faitlovitch f…

La Solidarieta Israelitica e i Falascia. First Edition published in 1907. [translation of title] Israelite Solidarity and the Falasha. Controversial lecture by an Orthodox Rabbi and scholar on behalf of the Ethiopian "Falasha" Jews delivered in the Great Jewish Sy…

Wright was arrested and charged for aiding in the escape of the first black man to be seized in New England under the Fugitive Slave Act. He was not convicted. He edited the Massachusetts Abolitionist and the Chronotype before eventually becoming estranged from th…

Wright was part of a devout Christian family who held anti-slavery beliefs and instilled in him a strict moral character. In 1826, Wright graduated from Yale and began to teach, first in Groton, Massachusetts, then at Hudson, Ohio as a mathematics and philosophy p…

A 4 page hand-written letter by Elizur Wright dated September 23, 1881. It is to the editor of the Newton Republican about errors in his new manuscript book (Myron Holley) and discusses La Fontaine, the famous book he had translated from French to English. He give…

The Creole case was the result of a slave rebellion in 1841 on board the Creole, a ship involved in the United States coastwise slave trade. The trade flourished for a half century or longer. In 1841, a brig named Creole (also known as USS Creole) was transporting…

Scarce first edition copy of Correspondence Between Mr. Webster And Lord Ashburton: 1. On Mcleod's Case. 2.The Creole Case 3.The Subject Of Impressment. printed in Washington, DC 1842. 32 pages. Stitched. Interior remains tight, clean and compete.

During the early part of the nineteenth century, the United States conducted a brutal campaign to re-enslave Blacks who escaped slavery and found freedom in Native American settlements in Florida. Giddings told the truth as he documents the struggle waged by these…

Hard-to-find First Edition book by Joshua R. Giddings -- The Exiles of Florida: Or, The Crimes Committed By Our Government Against the Maroons, Who Fled From South Carolina and Other Slave States, Seeking protection Under Spanish Laws.  Columbus, Ohio:  Follett, F…

Joshua R. Giddings of Ohio was elected as a Whig to the 25th Congress to fill a vacancy and was sworn in on December 3, 1838.  In November 1841, the 135 enslaved African Americans on board the ship Creole overpowered the crew, murdering one man, while sailing from…

My Dear Wife: I have just recd a dispatch from the State department on other business but no answer to my application for Leave of absence is yet received and I shall say nothing more on the subject short of one or two weeks and you must not expect me home before …

1862 Autograph Letter Signed "Joshua R. Giddings" (5 1/4" x 8") two conjoined pages, separate sheets with postscript signed "J R G" -- folds, soiling, slight separation at two folds, on rare pictorial stationery of the UNITED STATES CONSULATE GENERAL, British Nort…

Charles Martial Allemand Lavigerie (31 October 1825–26 November 1892) was a French cardinal archbishop of Carthage and Algiers and primate of Africa. He was born at Bayonne, and was educated at St Sulpice, Paris. He was ordained priest in 1849, and was professor o…

Very scarce First Edition 1888 copy of, "Der Sclavenhandel in Afrika und seine Greuel, beleuchtet nach den Vorträgen des Cardinals Lavignerie und Berichten von Missionaren und Forschern." by Walter Helmes. (German translation of title: The Slave Trade in Africa an…

Rare First Edition (1893) of book, Twenty-Two Years' Work of the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute -- Owned by W. L. Weaver. 520 pages. With historical and personal sketches and testimony on important race questions from within and without, to which are ad…

Signatures of three Native-American Indian students of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute dated September 18, 1888: Joe LaRoche (from Lower Brule), Matthew Young Eagle (from Standing Rock) and Joseph Beaupre (from Yancton).

A 1925 ladies class ring from the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. This college was founded in 1868 after the civil war and was for the American Indians and African Americans. The school is located in Hampton, Virginia and has a rich history. The ring wa…

Interesting, scarce book: "Two Hundred Years of the S.P.G.: An Historical Account of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, 1701-1900 (Based on a Digest of the Society's Records)." By C. F. Pascoe. Published in London by the Society for th…

The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) was founded by royal charter in 1701, the oldest and indeed the only mission agency formally established by the Church of England, approved by Convocation, approved and supported by Parliament, its charter giving…

An extremely scarce first edition (1730) copy of "An Historical Account of the Incorporated  Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Containing their Foundation, Proceedings, and the Success of their Missionaries in the British Colonies, to the…

An antique framed engraving. It is of a membership certification to the Troy Conference Missionary Society, an auxiliary to the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  It is dated June 21st 1852. Signed by Edmund S. Jones (local pastor of State Stre…

Thomas Clarkson was among the foremost British campaigners against both slavery and the slave trade. He was born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, on 28 March 1760 and educated at the grammar school there where his father, the Rev. John Clarkson, was headmaster.  In May…

In 1841 Clarkson’s published work was ‘A Letter to the Clergy of Various Denominations and to the Slaveholding Planters in the Southern Parts of the United States of America’. The letter mentioned above is probably about the manuscript pages for Clarkson's book.

Autographed Letter (dated November 23, 1840), written and signed by ‘Thomas Clarkson’ -- to ‘My dear friend’, informing him that “I have received the Manuscript safe”, asking him to correct the work and send it to the Press, concluding that “I consider that I cann…

Victor Animatograph Co. Hand Colored Glass Magic Lantern Slide (above), circa 1915. This is a portrait of David Livingstone (1813-1873). Victor Animatograph slide mount measures about 4" x 3 1/4", image size is about 2 1/2" x 2."

The tribal leaders gathered from all areas of the continent of Africa to honor this great general of God. They removed his heart and buried it reverently at the foot of a mulva tree. A wood monument was erected. They embalmed his body by filling it with salt, leav…

It was early in the morning of May 1st, 1873. Exhausted, David Livingston was confronted by one of his servants by his bedside. “You must rest Mr. Livingston, you must sleep!” “No!” David Livingston replied, “I must pray for Africa! Please prop me up by my bed to …

David Livingstone and slavery "And if my disclosures regarding the terrible Ujijian slavery should lead to the suppression of the East Coast slave trade, I shall regard that as a greater matter by far than the discovery of all the Nile sources together." -- Quote…

William Logan (1813-1879 -- recipient of Livingston's letter) Born near Hamilton, the son of a weaver, Logan was greatly affected by seeing a Glasgow missionary die of typhoid. Secular employment having no charms for him, he went to work with sufferers of the dise…

Janet Hamilton (mentioned in letter above and was also known by Mr. Logan) was a nineteenth century Scottish poet. She was born as Janet Thomson at Carshill, Shotts parish, Lanarkshire, 12 Oct. 1795, the daughter of a shoemaker. In her childhood the family moved t…

The story recounted in the letter above is corroborated by a paragraph in "The Personal Life of David Livingstone, by William G. Blaikie (1880) -- "Mother told me stories of her youth: they seem to come back to her in her eighty-second year very vividly. Her grand…

David's mother had a great store of family traditions, and, like the mother of Sir Walter Scott, she retained the power of telling them with the utmost accuracy to a very old age. In one of Livingstone's private journals, written in 1864, during his second visit h…

First Edition copy of "The Personal Life of David Livingstone, by William G. Blaikie (1880). The book is chiefly from his unpublished journals and correspondence in the possession of his family. The contents of the above-mentioned letter are in this book.

Ulva, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Ulbha) is an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Mull. This is the location of Janet Hamilton, the New Moorland parish and the Hamilton jail mentioned in the letter below.

Here is the letter July 6th, 1865 …

Handwritten front of envelope signed by David Livingtone.

This letter is from the Russell Aitken collection with provenance material (letter and invoice from 1949). Aitken was an artist (sculptor), expert marksman, big-game hunter and adventure writer whose substantial philanthropy reflected his passions for art and spor…

David Livingstone (1813-1873) letter -- Extremely rare hand written letter (dated 6, July 1865) from David Livingstone and signed by him that gives a human glimpse into the life of a man of supreme commitment to God and to the people of the continent of Africa. Th…

Vocalist and actress Ethel Waters (1896-1977) was a key figure in the development of African American culture between the two world wars. She broke barrier after barrier, becoming:
(1). the first black woman heard on the radio.
(2). the first black singer to perform…

One-of-a-kind test pressing (10" 78rpm) of the song, "Come Up and See Me Sometime," Brunswick #6885, Matrix: B-14956-C. Ethel Waters and the Brunswick Studio Band, in New York City, dated March 16, 1934. Brunswick. Frank Guarante or Charlie Margulis, Bunny Berigan…

Personalized note dated Jan 20, 1950 and signed by Ethel Waters. She was an American blues and jazz vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s sing…

Ethel Waters Signed in Ink 5 " X 7".  Circa 1938.  This came out of a lot of Photos all about 1938.

Cabin in the Sky film

Vintage sheet music from the Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer picture movie Cabin In The Sky with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington and his orchestra! Movie stars Lena Horne and Ethel Water were in the movie.

"Cabin in the Sky" Studio acetate edition 12" 78 rpm disc (February 24, 1943), with a lot of hand written information on the disc. 8A (USA). End theme song from film (same title). One sided acetate, exceptionally heavy. Time: 4' 38." It bears the hand written init…

Nine mint condition copies of the the rare 45 (rpm) of Ethel Waters singing His Eye is on the Sparrow with the "1500 Voice Billy Graham New York Crusade Choir" in Madison Square Gardens, directed by Cliff Barrows. In 1957 Ethel accepted the invitation to sing at t…

1951 Ethel Waters "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" book ad. The ad screams, "Smash Best Seller!" A book-of-the-month-club selection. An increasingly scarce original print advertisement.

Very rare, fine Moroccan leather bound First Edition copy of "His Eye is On the Sparrow." Thick leather with gold imprints on cover..

Seven first edition copies of Ethel's book, co-written by Charles Samuels.

Extremely rare contract/agreement signed on January 25, 1950 by Ethel Waters and Charles Samuels for two books, "His Eye is on the Sparrow" and "The Sparrow Sings the Blues."

One of the finest African American heroes: ETHEL WATERS. A spellbinding singer of songs, an actress of magnanimous power, Waters was a force of nature who enthralled audiences and even the stoniest of critics in nightclubs, vaudeville, recordings, Broadway, radio,…

Lawrence Washington, George’s older half-brother and guardian, fell victim to tuberculosis and doctors in Virginia recommended a change of climate. The family’s thoughts must have immediately gone to Barbados where there was a long-standing medical tradition of tr…

First Edition (1892) copy of Washington's Barbadoes Journal (1751-52). The daily journal of Major George Washington, kept while on a tour from Virginia to the island of Barbados, with his invalid brother, Major Lawrence Washington -- by Joseph Meredith Toner (1825…

Lynching, regardless who is lynched, is an horrific crime against humanity. It's not only the cowardly murder of a human being, but it also is the gutting of the conscience of the perpetrators. Everyone loses, including the society at large. From statistics provid…

Chambers' Edinburgh Journal -- May 27, 1843 -- Article (1/2 page) titled "Slavery in America" -- A very detailed account of the horrors that white abolitionists faced, as well accounts of the torturous deaths of negroes. A very shocking article that details some r…

Very rare bronze plaque by famous Belgian artist, Paul Wissaert (1885-1972) - Return of Prince Albert from Africa. Front: Depicts a young African boy waving at a ship, inscribed: "La jeunesse Bruxelloise au Prince Albert à son retour d'Afrique - About 1909." Rever…

Benjamin Drew (1812-1903) was an American abolitionist from Boston who, in the mid-1850s, traveled throughout Upper Canada interviewing scores of refugees from the American slave states. He transcribed their narratives and published them in 1856 in a book entitled…

Rare book by Benjamin Drew, -- Hints and Helps For Those Who Write, Print, Teach, Read or Learn. Published in 1891 by Lee & Shepard Publishers, Boston. 214 pages. Brown hard-covered book in fair condition. Shows the broad interests of Drew.

Two First Edition hard-to-find copies (1856) of Benjamin Drew's book, The Refugee: or the Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada. Published by John P. Jewett and Company, Boston.

December 13, 1895 handwritten 2-page letter from Benjamin Drew (Plymouth, MA) to his nephew, who is opening a museum (Bangs) in Demorest, GA. In the letter Drew is responding to his nephew's request for artifacts and images from his travels around the world -- ima…

The Whaling Museum of New Bedford, MA presents the following information: African Americans have been a presence in New Bedford since its early days. Runaway and freed slaves were attracted by the Quaker majority's early (1716) opposition to slavery and the prospe…

An 18th century whale's tooth with excellent scrimshaw work depicting two female, two male African slave and a slave ship...with the name, Jacob Ives. This artifact was sent to one of the premier experts (Dr. Stuart Frank) at the Whaling Museum in New Bedford, MA.…

A letter (Dec. 16th, 1792) handwritten by Levi Hart to his son, William Hart (in Norwich), with a quotation from Proverbs 3:6 (In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths) at the bottom of the letter.
-- The extremely rare 40-page Levi Hart's 30t…

An extremely rare First Edition anti-slavery play by the Belgian, Louis Delmer.  L'Esclave (The Slave, an abolitionist dramatic play, in four acts). Printed Brussels & Paris 1890. What makes this particular book scarce is that it was signed by Delmer in 1890 to th…

An intriguing engraving shows the famous horse named Wagner and Cato, the slave boy, who won his freedom riding it in 1839, some 36 years before the first Kentucky Derby race in 1875. It is a fascinating story. This particular framed engraving (definitely 19th cen…

Initially the North had proposed counting all the slaves; the South insisted that slaves were not as productive as free workers, and suggested counting half the slaves. After proposed compromises of 2/3 and 3/4 failed to gain sufficient support, Congress finally s…

Three-fifths (slaves): An 8-page newspaper, The Balance and Columbian Repository, Hudson NY -- Tuesday July 2, 1805. Published by Harry Croswell, Warren-Street, Hudson. There is an interesting 2-page anti-slavery article in relation to the US Constitution and citi…

"The Revolution in America" -- a lecture by John Elliot Cairnes, A.M., Professor. Contents address the immorality of slavery and movements to abolish slavery in the Northern states and District of Columbia....Author of "The Slave Power" Delivered before the Dublin…

October 23, 1850 Philadelphia letter to William D. Lewis, Esq. (Collector of the Customs House) by John Birnes (?), a man seeking employment as an oath giver to fugitive slaves. He explains that he knows the laws of fugitive slaves and can perform the customs hous…

Scarce, First Edition copy of The Sons of Allen: Together with a Sketch of the Rise and Progress of Wilberforce University, By Rev. Horace Talbert. The Aldine Press, Xenia, Ohio, 1906. A first edition in good condition; with index, frontis sketch of Bishop Richard…

Court order form William Carlisle to Constable of Sussex county Delaware to recover a debt owed Eli Coverdale by Clement Cannon. The documents are given under hand and seal, at Johnstown the 16th of Sept 1814. Johnstown or Johnson's corner, later became Reliance M…

Sir Rex Niven's book, "Nine Great Africans", published in 1964 by G. Bell and Sons, LTD of London. The nine great Africans are: 1. Arabi the Egyptian 2. Mutesa the Chief 3. Menelik the Emperor 4. Seyyid Said the Sultan 5. Chaka the Soldier 6. Muhammed the Askia 7.…

Neighbor Jackwood by J.T. Trowbridge. Originally published in 1857. Hurst reprint no date, circa later 1800s. An antislavery novel by the Boston author of juvenile literature about the beautiful Camille Delisard, the daughter of a Frenchman and his slave, who is s…

Court order form William Carlisle to Constable of Sussex county Delaware to recover a debt owed Eli Coverdale by Clement Cannon. The documents are given under hand and seal, at Johnstown the 16th of Sept 1814. Johnstown or Johnson's corner, later became Reliance M…

October 23, 1850 Philadelphia letter to William D. Lewis, Esq. (Collector of the Customs House) by John Birnes (?), a man seeking employment as an oath giver to fugitive slaves. He explains that he knows the laws of fugitive slaves and can perform the customs hous…

Neighbor Jackwood by J.T. Trowbridge. Originally published in 1857. Hurst reprint no date, circa later 1800s. An antislavery novel by the Boston author of juvenile literature about the beautiful Camille Delisard, the daughter of a Frenchman and his slave, who is s…

CDV of Thomas Carlyle, along with a set of 37 books by Thomas Carlyle, published in the 1800's. This is the People's Edition, cloth with gilt spines. It includes a copy of Thomas Carlyle's infamous essay, "Occasional Discourse on the Nigger Question." This essay w…

Arnoldus Montanus was a Jesuit priest, based in Amsterdam, who published a series of travel/voyage books based mainly on the reports from his fellow Jesuits in their travels around the world. Most were based on continents (Asia, Africa, America) but others were mo…

1688 engraving of an African king on his throne surrounded by his subjects that comes from a travel book by Montanus. The engraving measures 5" by 6.5" on a full page of text, has later wash hand coloring, and is in good condition.

BACKGROUND: Larmessin was one of a family of celebrated Parisian publishers, booksellers, and engravers who were responsible for several collections of portraits of royalty and notable individuals, including Tableaux historiques, ou sont graves les illustres franc…

The subject of the second image is "Tombut, Roy de la Guinee": a West African monarch. The engraving is on ivory-colored, partially watermarked laid paper. It measures approximately 6 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches (160 x 230mm). A small number has been handwritten in ink at …

Two original late-17th century French engravings by Nicolas II de Larmessin (c. 1632-c. 1694). The subject is the first is that of Emperor of Mono-Motapa, an archaic name for greater Zimbabwe. Chimbganda Matombo (1634-1698) seems most likely the Emperor depicted; …

First Edition (1895) A very rare antique book, "Afro-American Encyclopedia: The Thoughts Doings And Sayings of The Race", compiled and published by James T. Haley, Haley & Florida. It's illustrated with beautiful half-tone engravings and offers a huge assortment o…

2-Volumes of Anti-Slavery Papers, by James Russell Lowell. Volume I contains 28 article, published during 1844 - 1848 from "The National Anti-Slavery Standard." Volume II includes 27 articles which were published over a period of almost two years in "The National …

Negro Spirituals and the Underground Railroad -- The Underground Railroad helped slaves to run to freedom. A fugitive could use several ways. First, they had to walk at night, using hand lights and moonlight. When needed, they walked (“waded”) in water, so that do…

Service of Songs -- Negro Spirituals for the Emancipation of the Slave in the Southern States of America. In 1876 "The Story of the Jubilee Singers and Their Songs was written by J.B.T. Marsh. This is an edition was printed by W. J. Gibbs (Bromley, Kent about 1922…

Three 1877 hand-written letters. Two of the letters in the collection were handwritten by H. McDowell who was visiting Leipsic, Germany. The recipient was C.N. Cobb who I believe was visiting London. The third item is a letter from a steamship company from London,…

BIO -- James Monroe Trotter: Born in Grand Gulf, Mississippi on November 8, 1842. His mother, Letitia, was a slave, and his father was Richard S. Trotter, his mother's owner. Letitia, Trotter, and his brother eventually escaped slavery, making their way to Cincinn…

Two deeds to land in Washington, D.C. signed: "Jas. M. Trotter, Recorder" on 3½" by 8½" filing portion of deed 8½ inches by 14 inches. Washington, D.C. December 14, 1887. One of the deeds is to land on Maryland Avenue and 13th Street, S.W., purchased by Erastus Ku…

Extremely rare 1878 First Edition copy of Music And The Highly Musical People ,Remarkable Colored Musicians, by James W, Trotter, [Black author] with illus of him, Boston Lee & Shepherd. 353 pp and 2nd part 152 pp.  12 illus of black singers & Musicians, with othe…

Dorothy Maynor: 8 x 10 black and white photo is signed in blue ink. Inscribed: Best Wishes to the "326th Opera Club."

Life Magazine article (Dec. 11, 1939) about Dorothy Maynor, "Negro Singer From Virginia Makes Exciting Concert Debut."

Vintage Amphion Club program of operatic arias and Negro spirituals performed by noted African American singer Dorothy Maynor at the Russ Auditorium, San Diego, California -- March 30, 1942. Sponsored by Victor Red Seal Records. 6¼" x 12½".

A nice signed program from the 40's or early 50's featuring Dorothy Maynor, sponsored by the Portland, Maine, Community Concert Association. Dorothy Maynor's signature is an original.

Rare, huge 16" record for Armed Forces Radio Services (Basic Music Library) from WW-II, Volume no.R-39/40 SIDE-1:Church Choir: 5-tracks... SIDE-2: Dorothy Maynor with Frank Black and the NBC Symphony Orchestra:3-tracks. A number of songs, including: Swing Low Swee…

Czech Novel on American Slavery, 1871, "Otrocnik, aneb: Rozum bez srdce. Povidka ze zivota americkych osadniku pro mladez a pratele jeji" [The Slave Merchant, or Brains without Heart; A Tale of American Plantation Life for Young People and Their Friends]. Written …

1887 (two First Edition copies, 1150 pages) and one 1890 (733 pages) -- Three copies of Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising by Rev. William J. Simmons. (The 1887, 1st edition, WorldCat search locates only 50 copies of the 1st edition worldwide.) The book …

Scarce 1853 First Edition copy (2 copies) of Solomon Northrup's "Twelve Years a Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northrup", dedicated to Harriet Beecher Stowe. 336 pages, with 7 illustrations by Coffin. This is the graphic story of the abduction of a free Negro adult f…

A truly scarce and unique recital program for the great African-American contralto Marian Anderson. The performance was at the Gulistan Theatre in Dacca, East Pakistan on November 26, 1957, revealing the international impact she experienced. The concert was sponso…

A rare and interesting cabinet card (CDV) of Samuel Adjar Crowther which probably dates from around the 1860s. Samuel (Adjar) Crowther was born December 31st, 1809 in Africa. He was the first ever African to be ordained by the church Missionary Society who was con…

Six different documents (deeds) signed by Blanche K. Bruce. Washington, DC:  These deeds were signed by Bruce when he served as Recorder of Deeds (1890-1893), a position appointed to him by President Benjamin Harrison replacing Frederick Douglass.

"High Water" in the Mississippi River -- Rare etching/engraving (period) with an African American family stranded upon the top of a house. River has covered the house right up to the roof on many of the houses. Steamboat in background is named, "Stonewall Jackson."

Vintage LP by Memphis Millie with her classic blues song, "When the Levee Breaks", written and first recorded by husband and wife Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929. The song was in reaction to the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. I…

The aftermath of the flood was one factor in the Great Migration of African-Americans to northern cities. Previously, the move from the rural South to the Northern cities had virtually stopped. As a result of displacement lasting up to six months, millions of Sout…

The final Report of the Colored Advisory Commission Appointed with The American National Red Cross and the President's Committee on Relief Work in the Mississippi Valley Flood disaster of 1927. Extremely scarce copy!!! The American National Red Cross, Washington D…

ROBERT RUSSA MOTON: (1867 – 1940) was an educator and the second president of Tuskegee Institute, perhaps lesser known in comparison to the school’s founder and first principal, Booker T. Washington, or the Institute’s third president, Frederick Douglass Patterson…

Signed 1930 Edition copy of "What The Negro Thinks" by Robert Russa Moton, Garden City: Doubleday, Doran. Hardback Book: 267 pages, 11 chapters. The book is signed in 1933 by Robert Moton "To Mr. Grafton S. Wilcox, With warmest regards..." Grafton Stiles Wilcox wa…

COPY OF 1924 AD FOR SUMMER INSTITUTE: 1st Term: June 2—July 5.   2nd Term : July 7—August 9.
Recitation six days a week. Twelve weeks' work in ten weeks. Credits given toward a Diploma.
Strong Teacher Training Courses. Registration Fee: $5.00 for the entire session.…

Tuskegee Summer Institute For Teachers certificate (framed) signed by Robert Russa Moton (R.R. Moton), Principal and E. C. Roberts, Summer Institute Director. The diploma was signed on July 5th, 1924.  S. Eloise Walton received the diploma for Primary Methods & Pr…

The South in the early 1960s was still in the grips of Jim Crow, Bull Conner and the sort of segregation that we today know only through history books. Even on the day he won in Jacksonville, the pervasive attitude of Southern society at the time prevented him fro…

Vintage set of five Stock Car Replicas 1/64 -- featuring WENDELL SCOTT, the man who broke the color barrier in stock car racing - and he did so in 1963 when he became the first (and still the only) black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. F…

An intriguing hand written letter dated December 27, 1927 by Ethetreda Lewis, the editor of the popular book, Trader Horn. In the letter, from Johannesburg, she references the popularity of the book about Alfred Aloysius, who was also known as "Trader Horn". Actua…

Poulson's American Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia, March 20, 1818) "Spain Consents to Abolition of Slave Trade" -- A Treaty concluded and signed at Madrid by Sir H. Wellesley and M. Pizarro. Spaniards prohibited from going North of the line to purchase Negroes fro…

Cast iron sculpture (heavy) of an African American Lawn Jockey -- Jocko. Pre-1950s. The piece measures 11" tall and 3" square at the base.  Probably a vintage reproduction, the jockey is wearing a red vest with a yellow tie. His cap is red and there is a screw in …

1992 laserdisc of the 1964 B&W film "BLACK LIKE ME" is 107 minutes.  A few quotes from the packaging:  "Now I know what it feels like to be black!"; "I changed the color of my skin!"; "It's all true ... every living moment!".  Starring James Whitmore as a white ma…

1960 hard cover Catholic Book Club Edition copy of Griffin's book, "Black Like Me."

Eight original copies of the April 1960 edition of Sepia Magazine with John Howard Griffin on the front cover and his first installment, along with a lot of photographs. Griffin wrote a series of articles abut his experiences for this magazine.

Vintage, signed soft cover copy of John Howard Griffin's book, "Black Like Me". A fascinating account of a white man's journey through the American South as a black man. Griffin colored his skin and assumed a black identity in 1959.

BACKGROUND: Tom was born in Muscogee County (ear Columbus, GA) on May 25, 1849 with a condition that today's doctors might diagnose with the politically correct term "autistic savant"--one of only about 100 cases recorded in medical history. Tom's father Domingo W…

February 10, 1866 page of Harper's Weekly, with a large image of Blind Tom, along with a write-up.

An early authentic original program given out at Blind Tom Concerts (ca. 1867) entitled, "Songs, Sketches of the Life of Blind Tom the Marvelous Musical Prodigy, The Negro Boy Pianist, Whose Recent Performances at the Great St. James and Egyptian Halls (London) an…

Authentic, original manuscript of the dramatic poetry of Evelyn Patterson Burrell entitled, Weep No More.  Copy written in 1973, this work chronicles in narrative poetic verse, the plight of the Black people through history and slavery in the United States. This m…

Signed photograph of Leslie Hutchinson. The photo has been hand signed “To Jeanette Kennard, Gratefully Hutch 1942”. Leslie Arthur Hutchinson was born on the Island of Grenada on the 7th March, 1900. His father played the organ in the local church and Leslie learn…

An 1813 document in beautiful calligraphy, written and signed by African American Revolutionary War hero, Wentworth Cheswell (1747-1817). Wentworth served his town in varied capacity every year from 1768 to 1817, including terms as town selectman, justice of the p…

Tewodros had rifles smuggled through the Sudan and Massawa, both under hostile Ottoman rule, obliged Protestant missionaries to cast cannon for him, and built roads for his artillery. He also sought to develop relations with Europe, to exchange embassies with fore…

A carte-de-visite (CDV) of Theodore or Theodros or Tewodros II (1818-1868), King of Abyssinia and Emperor of Ethiopia (reigned 1855-1868). Born in the western province of Qwara during a period of disunity in Ethiopia, he was called Kassa and was the son of a minor…

The Methodist Magazine, 1798. Printed by Henry Tuckniss, 575 pages. This magnificent volume covers the entire year of 1798 with original sermons, experiences, letters, poetry and other religious pieces, together with instructive and useful extracts from different …

Extremely scarce, First Edition copy of Slaveholding Examined in Light of the Holy Bible, by William Henry Brisbane (Philadelphia, 1847, 222 pages). Minister, editor, author, and doctor, William Henry Brisbane was a South Carolina slaveholder who turned abolitioni…

An absolutely rare sampler (17"x17") dated June 4th, 1830, signed by it's maker, "Lavinia Wonn." Samplers like this are extremely rare and valuable. Lavinia may have been 8-10 years old when she made this sampler. The archivist of the Oblate Sisters Of Providence,…

Three letters from the American Bar Association written in 1923. Two of these 1923 letters from the American Bar Association to Honorable Christopher T. Callahan of Holyoke, Massachusetts, were written by John E. Hannigan, Boston, MA, State Director, First Distric…

BACKGROUND: The Alabama claims (1862-1872) were a diplomatic dispute between the United States and Great Britain that arose out of the U.S. Civil War. The peaceful resolution of these claims 7 years after the war ended set an important precedent for solving seriou…

The Graphic newspaper, May 4, 1872. Five men are engraved on the front page, with the headline: "The Alabama Claims -- The Geneva Court of Arbitration."

A vintage engraving of "A Session of the Alabama Claims Arbitrators."

ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE BRITISH INVOLVEMENT IN THE CIVIL WAR:

-- Rare first edition copy of, Case of the United States, Alabama Claims, to be laid before the Tribunal of Arbitration, to be Convened at Geneva under the provisions of the Treaty between the Un…

Frances Anne Kemble (Fanny Kemble), 1809 - 1893, Scarce three volumes of memoirs, which were published separately, contain some of her writing about slavery but also range over a wide variety of observations about her life on stage, in the arts and living in Ameri…

1863 edition (everything in one volume) of Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation on 1838-1839, printed by Harper & Brothers, New York. Fair condition.

Very scarce (two sets owned by the collection) Frances Anne Butler (Fanny Kemble) Journal. Philadelphia  Carey, Lea & Blanchard. First American Edition, 1863.  
Description: 2 volumes. Vol I: 252 pages Vol II: 218 pages.  An important and early travel journal. The …

An 1830 print entitled, "The Attitudes of Miss Fanny Kemble as Juliet" from "The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons" a monthly publication dedicated to the high life, fashionables, Fashions, polite literature, fine arts, the opera and theatres. The page …

25 scarce, vintage playbills/broadsides advertising Fanny Kemble's appearances at the Theatre Royal, Covent Gardens from 1829-1831. The specific theatre events advertised with Fanny Kemble are: Maid of Honour, Belvidera, Romeo and Juliet, Euphrasia, Venice Preserv…

A rare and wonderful litho of Fanny Kemble in an exquisite Victorian oval frame (7-1/2" x 11"), with a painted glass matte. Both frame and lithograph are in great shape. On the back of the frame is the clipped name "Miss Kemble". This is a pre-1840s litho and fram…

Fanny Kemble Autographed letter. It is very rare to find a letter signed with "Butler" as her last name. Signed, "Frances Anne Butler," -- 1 page, 4-1/2" x 7," Syracuse. Reads, "Sir, It will not be in my power to read at Troy at present. I hope however to be able …

Rare First Edition (1863) copy of Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation in 1838-1839 by Frances Kemble. (four copies of the First Edition are owned by this collection) Born in England to a family of actors and actresses -- the famous theatrical Kemble fam…

Eight issues of The Southern Workman, published by the Hampton Institute Press, Hampton, VA. [African-American]. April 1907, June 1907, August 1906, May 1920, November 1907, November 1906, July 1920 and May 1903. Some topics covered: Progress of the Negro in 40 Ye…

Hardbound Volume IV of  American Quarterly Review (September and December, 1828). This 546 page book contains reviews of historical, scientific, and travel literature published by Carey, Lea & Carey, Chesnut Street, Philadelphia; 546 pages. Thirty-one of those pag…

"Sketches of Western African" -- April 27, May 3 and May 4, 1819 issues of Poulsons' American Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia) with the series of articles taken directly "from the Journal of Rev. Samuel J. Mills, one of the agents of the American Colonization Socie…

August 22, 1829 newspaper, Philadelphia Recorder, with article about Aiding the Colonization Cause in Liberia, to Prepare and Circulate Tracts among the Free Colored Population, Showing the Advantages of Emigration; -- and that such a Measure Might Result in:
1. In…

Boston Recorder (December 16, 1829) -- Long article on the Mission to Africa, "..proceeded to present a brief outline of the facts respecting the Colony in Liberia. Its original design under the patronage of the American Colonization Society was to locate a settle…

BACKGROUND ON LOTT CAREY: Carey was a pioneer missionary to Africa. Born a slave in Virginia, he was converted to Christianity while working in Richmond. He purchased his freedom, became first a lay exhorter and then a licensed Baptist preacher. He went to Liberia…

February 19, 1829 newspaper, Boston Recorder, with article about the death of African American missionary, Lott Carey. Title of Article: News From Liberia. "We learn from a vessel arrived in port yesterday from Liberia, (the American colony on the coast of Africa,…

Boston Recorder (April 14, 1821) -- Liberia Mission. "Lott Carey, and Collin Teague, two colored men, preachers, with their families, sailed from Norfolk in January last, in the brig Nautilus with their Bibles, and utensils for necessary labor. The Baptist Board s…

Sabbath School Teachers' Second Book, Containing a Harmony of the Four Gospels and Questions on the History, Miracles, Discourses and Parables of our Lord, With Explanations of the Most Difficult Parts of the Text." by Rev. J.J. Matthias. New York: B. Waugh and T.…

New York American (March 9, 1836) -- Maryland in Liberia...Letter extract from Dr. James Hall, Governor of Maryland, delivered by Capt. Lawlin of the brig, The Susan Elizabeth of New York. He describes prosperity. "...I may truly say that every month of our existe…

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, for whom Gallaudet University is named, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1787. His family later settled in Hartford, Conn., the home of his maternal grandparents. A brilliant student during his early years, Gallaudet entered Yale Univers…

Cape Palmas (this is most probably where the above letter was written), founded in 1834, was the original settlement of the Maryland Colonization Society, which purchased the peninsula with muskets, powder, cloth, pots, beads, and other items of trade. The peninsu…

Mrs. James M. Thomson (E.M. Thomson) was born in Connecticut in 1807. She emigrated to Africa in 1831, and taught an infant school in Monrovia. She and her husband afterward removed to Cape Palmas, and in 1835 Mr. Thomson was appointed by the Foreign Committee to …

Letter written by Black female settler in Liberia, 1841 to the founder of first School for the Deaf in America (Gallaudett University was later named after him) -- Cover with 2 page letter dated from Cape Palmas, West Africa, Mt. Vaughan (see image below), Sept. 1…

3 Issues of the "Africa Repository and Colonial Journal" (Jan-Mar, 1838) -- total of 90 pages, printed in Washington, DC). The main thrust was to raise the money to relocate African slaves back to the settlement in Monroeville, Liberia (West Africa). Many intrigui…

The Missionary Herald (November, 1860). Contains: Annual report (including some 1000 names of members present, foreign missions i.e. Cyrus Hamlin & D. W. Marsh from Turkey), the report also includes a section on the Slave Trade in Africa (The French Government pro…

The Missionary Herald (October, 1858). Contains: Annual report (including some 300 names of members present, foreign missions, etc), News from Gaboon Mission [West Africa], The Rum Trade, French Slave Trade, Assyria Mission, Mosul, Nestorians [Iran], including Oro…

Extremely rare book, Epochs of American History: Division and Reunion, 1829-1889 (Ninth Edition, with 5 maps) by Woodrow Wilson -- Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University. Published by Longmans, Green & Co., 1898. This volume covers The Slavery Question, …

The Gentleman's Magazine, London, October, 1787 -- Within this issue is a page mostly taken up with the creation of a new society "...instituted in Philadelphia consisting of some of the most respectable people in the province of Pennsylvania..." with the introduc…

Program (January, 2004) from the 4th Annual Negro League Baseball Legacy Awards -- Autographed by 27 former Negro League Players:  Pancho Herera (deceased), William Blair, Ernie "Schoolboy" Johnson, John "Beach" Smith, Mack Pride, Enrique Maroto, Harold Gould, Cha…

Extremely rare First Edition "L'Africaine" (The African Maid, 1866) -- Grand Opera in Five Acts (25 pages), Ditson & Co. Standard Opera Libretto, composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer, English and Italian. Chief characters: Vasco di Gama (officer in Portuguese Navy), Seli…

A manuscript bill from Lodowick Updike(?).  January 1802. It's a bill for pay for his work on the Schooner BETSEY. "A voyage to Cape de Verd and else where in the Schooner Betsey. Richard Cornell, Master" For a 10 month and 23 day voyage to and from "Cape de Verd"…

Program listing/picturing Sidney Poitier's broadway debut -- Anna Lucasta (1945). Sidney Poitier was originally engaged as an understudy in the Broadway production of "Anna Lucasta," and, during the run, was promoted to play the role of Rudolph. Joining Mr. Poitie…

U. S Department of Agriculture Experiment Stations Bulletin 30-39 consisting of articles on many topics, including "Dietary study with reference to the food of the Negro in Alabama in 1895 & 1896" - conducted with the cooperation of the Tuskegee Normal and Industr…

Very rare handwritten 22 page speech given by Sarah C. Pennypacker, April 8th, 1899. Her father was the famous Elijah F. Pennypacker, one of the main promoters of the Underground Railroad. The basis of her remarks are a book by Fernando G. Cortland - Southern Hero…

August 15, 1801 American Citizen newspaper article about Touissant Louverture. Utilizing three columns, the "Promulgation of the Colonial Situation in Cape Francois, (St. Domingo/Hayti) is described. The article is a direct translation from the "Bulletin Officiel …

A letter written from Cape Francois (St. Domingo/Hayti) dated March 22, 1801 and published in the May 2, 1801 issue of Poulson's American Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia). Here's what the letter said, "An agent from France, by way of New York, brought an appointmen…

THE JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY. Volume 1, 1916 (462 pages) First Edition -- Carter G. Woodson. Published by The Association For the Study of Negro Life and History, INC, Lancaster, PA and Washington, DC.  A very Rare history containing the first four issues (vol One…

A rare Key to the famous 1860 Lithograph of : "Daniel Webster Addressing the United States Senate in the Great Debate on the Compromise Measures 1850." Measures 22 ¼ x 13 inches. New York: J. M. Edney - A number of the original lithographs have survived, but what …

Many newspaper of Le Petit Journal and Journal des Voyages depicting scenes from the French colonies in Africa. Many of the full-size graphic scenes are of bloody uprisings and battles.

More than seventy-five Genuine bronze Manilla slave bracelets used in the slave trade in the 1700s, used as money to purchase slaves. It would take 2 to 15 of these bracelets to purchase a healthy male, depending upon the supply and where he was sold. The bracelet…

Shackles. Rare iron ball and chain for a slave, with an early 1860's tower leg iron attached at the end of chain. Tower takes a barrel bit key to unlock. The tower ball and chain has an approx. 5" ball with a 4" handle built into the ball when the ball was cast. I…

Authentic slave ball manufactured mid to late 1600s (above, left), with unique handle (approx. 50 lb.), -- used on the known London-based slave ship, Henrietta Marie, the oldest identifiable slave ship wreck in the world (July 1700); featured in National Geographi…

John Langdon (1741-1819) was a delegate to Continental Congress from New Hampshire, 1775-76, 1787; served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War; President of New Hampshire, 1785-86; 1788-89; member, U. S. Constitutional Convention, 1787; U. S. Senat…

Handwritten letter from Joseph Barrell to John Langdon (June 15th, 1778) -- Joseph Barrell (1793-1804), was a prominent Boston area merchant, fur-trader and owned the first ship to circumnavigate the globe. This letter has great content about the making of the Uni…

Isaac Norris glass slide -- Hand drawn and early – this must surely be an extremely rare slide. It was discovered in a large box of early, hand drawn slides and a lantern. There are no markings on the slide to indicate age or maker. However, there was a slide in t…

Document signed by MARTIN DELANY, Trial Justice in Charleston, South Carolina, 1877. Measures 8 3/4 x 7 inches. African American intellectual Martin Robinson Delany (1812-1885), a journalist, physician, army officer, politician, and judge, is best known for his pr…

Vintage (10" 78rpm) record (The Gramophone Company, Middlesex, England) Duke Ellington & his Orchestra with the song "That Lindy Hop" music by Eubie Blake and lyrics by Andy Razaf (recorded June 12, 1930). #B.6355.
-- Also a vintage 1943 Life Magazine photographic …

Scarce (10" 78rpm) record (Decca) Lil Armstrong (Louis' wife) and her Swing Orchestra with the song, "Lindy Hop." (1937). Decca #1388.

Rare authentic (10" 78rpm) record (Brunswick) of Count Basie and his orchestra with the song, "Shorty George." It is a familiar mistake to think the Count Basie (and other star's) recording of "Shorty George" referred to Snowden. It doesn't. Band members were quit…

Absolutely rare original 4-Page contract (1935) between the Lindy Hoppers and Samuel Goldwyn. Signing twice are George "Shorty" Snowden, Freddie Lewis, Madeline Lewis, Beatrice Gay, Beatrice Elam and Leroy Jones. They were paid $2,500 for a week's service. Researc…

-- First Edition copy of "Character Building" by Booker T. Washington, 1902. Fine condition.
-- First Edition of "Up From Slavery" by Booker T. Washington, 1900 and another copy signed by his son.

A quote from Washington's classic, Up From Slavery: "I used to envy …

Two-page letter (Jan. 11, 1917) written on Mrs. Booker T. Washington's (Margaret James Murray) own letterhead (Girls' Industries at Tuskegee Institute, AL) and signed by her.
   The Letter reads: My Dear Miss Elliott: I am writing to thank you for the cards, toys &…

RIAL OF REUBEN CRANDALL at Washington for circulating incendiary pamphlets to excite slaves to insurrection - description of the charges and description of the accused; more. This is a great piece of Black American History with two very important African American …

Poulson's American Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia newspaper, with interesting articles) April 21, 1836 -- INVENTION BY A NEGRO - A patent given to 29 year-old Henry Blair of Maryland, a free colored man, for a Corn Planter machine now on exhibit at the Capitol - d…

Human Life; Henry Clarke Wright; Boston: Bela Marsh 1849...First Edition, 414p. . Size-5x7.5” Hardback. Illustrated, in My Individual Experience as a Child, a Youth, and a Man. Wright was one of the speakers at the 1846 Dundee event with Frederick Douglass mention…

1863 edition of "Martyrs and Heroes of the Scottish Covenant" by Rev. George Gilfillan. Published by Gall & Inglis, London. 288 pages. It offers a succinct and impartial account of the history of the Scottish Covenant with an unbiased estimate of the character of …

Bards of the Bible by George Gilfillan. 1869, Harper and Brothers edition. This probably is the first American edition -- the true first was published in Britain in 1851. The book is about the poetic quality of the Bible with an emphasis on Old Testament prophets.

George Gilfillan: Anecdotes and Reminiscences by David Macrae. First Edition, Morison Brothers Glasgow 1891

Rev. George Gilfillan (1813-1878) invited Frederick Douglass to speak at his church, George's Chapel. He was minister of School Wynd United Associate Secession Church, which became part of the United Presbyterian Church in 1847. After his death in 1878 a majority …

As a runaway slave, Douglass had written his "Narrative..." book. He had previously resisted the temptation to disclose much of his slave identity, including his master's name or his place of birth, for fear of recapture. But he now decided to defend himself again…

Report of the Speeches of Messrs. Frederick Douglass, Henry Clarke Wright & James Buffum -- An extremely rare 32 page report of an anti-slavery soiree held in Dundee, Scotland on March 10th, 1846 by the reporter of the Dundee Courier -- Printed by D. Hill, at the …

Absolutely rare unrecorded 1689 Handwritten Manuscript admonition asserting England's dominion over colonial American trade [William III - King of England]. WE GREET YOU WELL ... from the King of England to ‘OUR PLANTACIONS’ (sic) OF NEW ENGLAND. This is an extrem…

The Map of Africa by Treaty, by Sir Edward Hertslet, Librarian of the Foreign Office. This book was printed for His Majesty's Stationery Office by Harrison and Sons, St. Martin's Lane, London, in 1909, and is Volume One. Original hardbound book on the various trea…

Three rare First Edition books (1855, 1857, 1868) on the British Slave Trade presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty -- with reports from Africa, Zanzibar, Portugal, Spain, Egypt, Brazil, Madagascar, France, The United States, Turkey, Sard…

Rare 1830 edition of the "Abolition of the African Slave-Trade", By the British Parliament. Abridged from Thomas Clarkson. Together with a Brief View of the Present State of the Slave-Trade and of Slavery. Volume I (Only). Augusta: Published by P.A. Brinsmade, At …

A priceless 4-page 1843 British Foreign Office Circular (see below) alerting British Consuls about the legal penalties placed upon British subjects still involved in the Slave Trade. This absolutely rare document is personally handwritten and signed by Lord Aberde…

1858 letter handwritten by Lord Aberdeen stating that he would not attend Queen Victoria's State Ball at Buckingham Palace because of his poor health. He died within the year.
-- Engraved image of Lord Aberdeen.

1873 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act for regulating and extending the Jurisdiction in matters connected with the Slave Trade of the Vice-Admiralty Court at Aden, and of Her Majesty’s Consuls under Treaties with the sovereigns of Zanzibar, Muscat, and Madagascar, and …

Journals of the House of Lords Volume LIV (January 23, 1821 - January 3, 1822) -- Covers many fascinating topics, including an Act going through between 2 and 10th July as follows: "An act for the appropriation of certain proceeds arising from the capture of vesse…

1869 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act to regulate and extend the Jurisdiction of Her Majesty’s Consul at Zanzibar in regard to vessels captured on suspicion of being engaged in the Slave Trade, and for other purposes relating thereto [9th August 1869]” – 3 pages
-- 186…

1861 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act to apply out of the Consolidated Fund and the Surplus of the Ways and Means to the Service of 1861, and to appropriate supplies granted in this session of Parliament [August 6, 1861]  Includes mention of sums granted to David Livi…

1849 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act for carrying into effect the Agreement between Her Majesty and the Imam of Muscat for the more effectual Suppression of the Slave Trade [5th September 1848]” – 6 pages
-- 1849 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act for carrying into effect E…

1848 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act for carrying into effect the Treaty between Her Majesty and the Republic of the Equator for the Abolition of the Traffic in Slaves [4th September 1848]” – 26 pages.

1838 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act to amend the Act for the Abolition of Slavery in the British Colonies [11th April 1838]” – 10 pages
-- 1838 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act for the better and more effectually carrying into effect the Treaties and conventions made wit…

QUEEN VICTORIA (1837 - 1901) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- 1837 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act to carry into further Execution the Provision of an Act completing the full Payment of Compensation to Owners of Slaves upon the Abolition of Slavery…

1836 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 30th March 1836 regarding the Treaty with the Queen Regent of Spain on the Abolition of Slavery."
-- 1836 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 7th June 1836 regarding an extension unt…

1835 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 31st  August 1835 regarding the compensation of Owners of Slaves upon Abolition."
-- 1835 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 9th September  1835 regarding the Treaty with King of Fr…

1834 Parliamentary Act [15th August 1834] (27 pages) -- (On August 1, 1834 all slaves in the British Empire were emancipated, but still indentured to their former owners in an apprenticeship system which was finally abolished in 1838. £20 million was paid in compe…

1834 Parliamentary Act [26th March 1834] (44 pages) -- "An Act for Punishing Mutiny and Desertion, and for the Better Payment of the Army and their Quarters.  It includes "...That all Negroes purchased by or on account of His Majesty...shall be considered as Soldi…

1833 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 28th August 1833 regarding Two Conventions with the King of France for Suppressing the Slave Trade."

KING WILLIAM IV (1830 - 1837) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- 1833 Parliamentary Bill (Very Rare) -- For the Abolition of Slavery Throughout the British Colonies, For Promoting the Industry of the Manumitted Slaves, and for Compensating the Own…

1828 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 25th July 1828 regarding Amending and Consolidating the Laws relating to the Abolition of the Slave Trade."

1830 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 16th July 1830 regarding the Reduction of Rate of Bounties Payable on Seizure of Slaves."

1827 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 2nd July 1827 regarding the Execution of a Convention between Britain and Brazil on the Abolition of the Slave Trade."

1827 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 2nd July 1827 regarding the Effect the Treaty with Sweden relative to the Slave Trade.".

1824 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 31st March 1824 regarding the More Effectual Suppression of the African Slave Trade."

1821 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act dated 10th July 1821  regarding the Appropriation of Proceeds Arising from Capture of Vessels & Cargoes belonging to Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands in Prosecution of the Slave Trade."

A new Anti-Slavery …

KING GEORGE IV (1820 - 1830) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- 1821 Parliamentary Act, under King George IV -- "An Act for Abolishing the African Company, and Transferring to and Vesting in His Majesty all Forts, Possessions, and Property now belon…

1819 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- "An Act dated 12th July 1819 regarding an Act for more speedy trial of offences upon the Seas against the Laws of Abolition of the Slave Trade."
-- 1819 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- "An Act dated 12th …

1818 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An intriguing Act carrying an execution (agreement) between His Majesty George III and the King of Portugal for the preventing of traffic in Slaves. Gives details of agreements for Royal Navy Warships to board and s…

1817 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act of fascinating text (after the War of 1812). "The Act Extending to Newfoundland, Permitting Exportation of Wares from the British Islands in the West Indies to any Other, and to and from the Colonies in Ameri…

1815 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- "An Act dated 11th July 1815 regarding the Support of Captured Slaves During Period of Adjudication."

1814 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- "An Act dated 27th May 1814 regarding the Registration of Condemned Slave Ships as British-built Ships."

1807 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act to repeal so much of certain acts as relates to the regulations or conditions under which coffee, coca nuts, sugar and rice are allowed to be secured in warehouses, without payments of duty; and to authorize …

1807 Parliamentary Act (2 copies of this particular Act) -- “An Act for transferring to His Majesty, certain Possessions and rights vested in the Sierra Leone Company, and for shortening the Duration of the said Company, and for preventing any dealing or trafficki…

1807 Parliamentary Act -- “An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade" [25th March 1807, pp. 315-326] This particular Act is contained in A Collection of the Public General Statutes Passed in the Forty Seventh Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George the Thir…

1806 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act to prohibit for two years, after the conclusion of the present session of Parliament, any ships to clear out from any Port of Great Britain for the Coast of Africa, for the purpose of taking on board Negroes,…

1804 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act to amend and continue, as relates to allowing British Plantation Sugar to be warehoused'. It is dated 3rd May 1804, on 2 pages of paper (only one piece has type on both sides, but both pieces are water-marked…

1802 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act of interesting text. "The Act for Duties to Be Suspended on the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and navigation between Britain and America".

1799 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act for Regulating the Manner of carrying Slaves on British Vessels from the Coast of Africa. Printed by George Eyre and Andrew Strahan, printers for King George III. 16 pages.

1797 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act to stop slaves being sold as chattels to repay debts. This is repealing a previous Act made for the recovery of debts in His Majesty's Plantations and Colonies in America. July 19th -- 2 pages.

1795 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act to amend and continue Acts regulating the carrying of Slaves in British vessels. No ships to carry slaves unless specified for that purpose on leaving port. No more than 5 slaves to three tons burden of each …

1793 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act to continue Acts regulating the carrying of Slaves in British vessels. No more than 5 slaves to three tons burden of each vessel. The upper and lower cabin and the space between decks to be allotted to the sl…

1792 Parliamentary Register (House of Commons) -- Three rare issues from the 2nd Session of the 17th Parliament of Great Britain, dated March 1st, June 12th and June 30th. Various items of interest and reform including: An Inquiry into the Evils Arising from Lotte…

1788 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- An Act to regulate the slave trade, for an initial period of one year. It sets out a series of rules to be followed by masters and surgeons of ships in order to increase the likelihood of survival of the slaves onbo…

1780 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- This Act is "To allow the Trade between Ireland and the British Colonies and Plantations in America and the West Indies, and the British Settlements on the Coast of Africa, to be carried on in like manner as it is n…

KING GEORGE III (1760 - 1820) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- 1767 Parliamentary Act, under King George III -- This Act documents the duty-free importation of wheat and wheat flour from Africa and rice from the North American colonies for a limit…

1754 Parliamentary Act, under King George II -- This Act is "For the Better Encouragement of the Trade of His Majesty's Sugar Colonies in America". This was the period of the Jacobite Rebellion led by Prince Charlie. Five pages of interesting text relating to the …

1743 Parliamentary Acts, under King George II -- An entire volume (over 900 pages), in immaculate condition, containing all of the Acts of Parliament in 1743. It includes an Act "For the Encouraging and Increasing of Shipping and Navigation, as to the Importation …

1698 Parliamentary Act, under King William III -- The extremely rare Act pertaining to trade with Africa and the change in duties to cover the costs of protecting the colonies. Originally the Crown paid for the upkeep of defenses: "the Forts and Castles now on the…

1698 Parliamentary Act, under King William III -- A rare Act for enlarging the time for registering of ships, pursuant to the Act for preventing frauds, and regulating abuses in the plantation trade. It provides that only ships registered in Great Britain or in he…

KING GEORGE II (1727 - 1760) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- 1742 Parliamentary Acts, under King George II -- An Act for "Granting to His Majesty the Sum of One Million out of the Sinking Fund, and for applying a further Sum therein mentioned, …

QUEEN ANNE (1702 - 1727) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- 1712 Parliamentary Act, under Queen Anne -- An extremely rare Act of the English Parliament passed in 1711 and printed in 1712, by John Baskett (London). "An Act for making Effectual su…

KING WILLIAM III (of Orange) (1650 - 1702) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- 1695 Parliamentary Act under the reign of William III and Queen Anne. Anno Regni Gulielmi III. Regis...At the Parliament begun at Westminster the two and twentieth Day of November,…

1698 Parliamentary Act, under King William III -- A rare Act for enlarging the time for registering of ships, pursuant to the Act for preventing frauds, and regulating abuses in the plantation trade. It provides that only ships registered in Great Britain or in he…

1695 Parliamentary Act under the reign of William III and Queen Anne. Anno Regni Gulielmi III. Regis...At the Parliament begun at Westminster the two and twentieth Day of November, Anno Dom. 1695. This beautifully preserved original 1695 British Act of Parliament …

BACKGROUND:  ROYAL AFRICAN COMPANY, the British company that dealt in the Slave Trade with Africa. This company was deeply involved with the Slave Trade beginning in 1660 and continued until 1731 when it took up trade in gold dust and ivory from Africa. The Royal …

First English Slave Voyage: It was in 1562 by Sir John Hawkins, which was an encroachment on Portugal’s monopoly of Africa.  Slave trade dropped as British foreign policy in 1783, thus indicating 221 years of the trade.  The trade was sharply stimulated by the est…

Royal African Company: Official Slave Trade Act of British Parliament, 1750
(I am personally appalled by the stark, business-like manner in which the Royal African Company conducted themselves while developing the following Parliamentary Acts addressing the Slave …

An article from a genuine March 21, 1791 edition of the newspaper, Dunlaps American Daily Advertiser states, ""Some time last month arrived...Mr. Andrew Ellicott a gentleman of superior astronomical abilities. He was employed by the president of the United States …

One customer was Joseph Ellicott, a Quaker surveyor, who needed an extremely accurate timepiece to make correct calculations of the locations of stars. Ellicott was impressed with Benjamin's work and lent him books on mathematics and astronomy. Banneker began his …

Benjamin Banneker, originally Banna Ka, or Bannakay (1731-1806) is considered to be one of the first African Americans to gain distinction in science. This beautiful sculpture was purchased from an elderly African American woman. On the back it is marked, "Propert…

Lewis Howard Latimer (1843-1928) is considered one of the 10 most important Black inventors of all time not only for the sheer number of inventions created and patents secured but also for the magnitude of importance for his most famous discovery. A pioneer in the…

Dr. Charles Richard Drew (June 3, 1904 -- April 1, 1950) was an American physician and medical researcher. He researched in the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge in developing large-scal…

Frederick Jones (1892 - 1961) was one of the most prolific Black inventors ever, holding more than 60 patents in a variety of fields. Frederick Jones patented more than sixty inventions, however, he is best known for inventing an automatic refrigeration system for…

Norbert Rillieux (1806 -1894) was revolutionary in the sugar industry by inventing a refining process that reduced the time, cost, and safety risk involved in producing sugar from cane and beets. As the son of a White French planter/inventor and an African America…

Garrett Augustus Morgan (1877-1963) was an African-American businessman and inventor whose curiosity and innovation led to the development of many useful and helpful products. A practical man of humble beginnings, Morgan devoted his life to creating things that ma…

Matthew Henson (1866-1955) was born on a farm in Charles County, Maryland. He was still a child when his parents Lemuel and Caroline died, and at the age of twelve he went to sea as a cabin boy on a merchant ship. He sailed around the world for the next several ye…

Six busts (below, 8" high) are by African American sculptor/photographer, Inge Hardison (b. 1904) from the "Negro Giants in History" collection created in 1967. Stunning likenesses. Hardison is a sculptor whose major interest is contemporary and historical portrai…

Maps of Africa: Maps of Africa were vital to European slave traders who depended upon the mapmaker's representation of the West African coast for the purposes of navigation -- Clouet (1768) -- Kitchin (1786) -- Chambers (1847) -- Guthrie (1800) -- Noveau Dictionna…

World War II Unit History titled "Workin’ on those Airdromes" An Overseas Report From the 923rd Engineer Aviation Regiment including the 827th Engineer Battalion, 829th Engineer Battalion, the 847th Engineer Battalion, and the 859th Engineer Battalion is soft back…

Countee Cullen -- poet, anthologist, novelist, translator, children's writer, and playwright, Countee Cullen is something of a mysterious figure. He was born March 30th, 1903 (died 1946), but it has been difficult for scholars to place exactly where he was born, w…

1858 Slave Life Insurance Policy Receipts from La Providencia (6 different copies, 1858-1859) and La Protectora Insurance Companies -- both in Havana, Cuba. Slavers routinely covered their slaves with life insurance policies. Consequently, they didn't care if they…

Bambara Elder's Pipe: To the right is a fine item, approximately 150 years old -- from the Bambara Tribe in Mali, West Africa. This is an elder's or chief's pipe, approximately 10" long and shows use and character. The bowl is metal lined and is reinforced with me…

Four clay pipes (to the left) depicting people of African descent dated back to the mid 1800s, one British.

Very rare L'expédition d'Égypte, 1798-1801, par Clément de Lajonquière. Five large volumes in wraps, total of about 3400 pages! (1902, 2nd edition). Among the campaigns of the revolution, consigning Egypt is both one of the most popular and less well known. Th…

Two Copper engravings (22"x9" -- Battle Plan for Alexandria and Map of Nile) titled, "Plan of the Action of the 21st. of March Fought near ALEXANDRIA, by the French under General Menou, and the English under Sir Ralph Abercrombie" and also "A Map of the Western Br…

This collection has 82 extremely rare original plates/prints ( from "Description de l'Égypte" from the Napoleonic Egyptian Campaign, circa 1820. These official plates/prints came from a huge lot sold in an auction in 2001, Paris -- the seller was the French Govern…

A fine 1719 original, copperplate engraved views of the Pyramids and of the Sphinx, Giza, Egypt, with engraved cursive commentary as borders: Description des Piramides d'Egypte . . . Avec une Description tres Curieuse du Sphinx, from Chatelain, Henri Abraham, Atla…

Intriguing early 1900s glass slide of the Rosetta Stone by Moore, Bond &Co. (Chicago).

Rare First Edition copy of "L'Univers Pittoresque. Egypte Ancienne" by M. Champollion-Figeac (Jean Champollion), Paris, Firmin Didot, 1839. It contains 92 illustrations and an antique folding map of Egypt. First few pages have some foxing, with the rest in excelle…

Magnificent extremely rare plate/print (one of 511 plates), expertly backed with linen, of Thutmose III from the monumental 1843 work of Jean Champollion, the first to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs (20" x 27").

Hardbound Volume IV of  American Quarterly Review (September and December, 1828). This 546 page book contains reviews of historical, scientific, and travel literature published by Carey, Lea & Carey, Chesnut Street, Philadelphia; 546 pages. Twenty-six of those pag…

Vintage framed image of Dr. Thomas Young.
Background: Dr. Thomas Young is the man who undertook the task had perhaps the keenest scientific imagination and the most versatile profundity of knowledge of his generation — one is tempted to say, of any generation. For …

Two extremely rare First Edition French volumes, "Complete Summary of Archaeology" by Jean Champollion-Figeac (Published in Paris, 1825 and 1826, just a few years after he cracked the code to hieroglyphics in 1822). Divided into volumes. First: Monuments of archit…

Jean-Francois Champollion, a 10 year old child saw some of the Egyptian artifacts and enquired about the strange pictures (Hieroglyphs) where he was told that no one yet understands what these pictures means. Since that time Champollion committed himself to deciph…

Lettre Ecrites D'Egypte et de Nubie en 1828 et 1829, by Champollionn le Jeune (Letters Written in Egypt and Nubia in 1828 and 1829 by Francois Champollion) with all illustrations intact. This very, very rare First Edition by the translator of Egyptian Hieroglyphic…

In the south, he reached Assouan; from Keneh he went to Kosseir. Their studies of the great monuments of ancient Egypt paved the way for the science of Egyptology. It was during this expedition that the Rosetta Stone was discovered, which ultimately enabled people…

A three-volume 1803 English edition (quite rare) of "Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt During the Campaigns of General Bonaparte in That Country", written and illustrated by Vivant Denon, published by T.N. Longman & O. Rees (London). In the spring of 1797, with a d…

Souvenir program of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess", Produced by Cheryl Crawford ca. 1943. Directed by Robert Ross, Starring Todd Duncan, Anne Brown, Georgette Harvey et al. Cover art by Al Hirschfeld, 9" x 12", 15 pages, includes 10 b/w photos. Clean, flat and…

A vintage First Edition hardback illustrated motion picture movie book titled: The Samuel Goldwyn Motion Picture Productions of Porgy and Bess, copyright 1959...the year the movie was released.

Rare 1959 vintage poster (16" x 23") of the film (Belgium), Porgy and Bess. -- starring Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr., Pearl Bailey and others.

Dubose Heyward: PORGY. Published in 1934 by The Modern Library, NY. Stated First Modern Library Edition. Hard cover, no dj, 196 pages, Illustrated Chapter headings. DuBose Heyward (August 31, 1885 – June 16, 1940) is best-known as the author of the 1924 novel Porg…

Absolutely rare original signed check for $5002.30 from Samuel Goldwyn Productions made out to Pearl Bailey, dated September 6, 1958. Pearl Bailey was working on Porgy and Bess, which was released June 4th, 1959 (Otto Preminger, Director). This check was all or pa…

Rare original AFTRA Engagement Contract dated January 28, 1972, for Pearl Bailey's appearance on the Harlem Globetrotter's Celebrity Special (NBC) at The Forum in LA -- signed by Pearl, w/ her Social Security # (Pearl was paid $1000 for her appearance).

Signed letters, photos and other sports memorabilia (Julius Erving, Buck Leonard,  Jack Johnson, Satchel Paige, Harlem Globetrotters (many annual programs, LPs, and other Globetrotter items), Joe Frazier,

Bob "Showboat" Hall

Ali, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Geo…

1820s "T Porter" slave button (from Antigua, British West Indies), sewn onto the outer clothing of slaves -- used to identify the owner of the slave.
-- The Chillicothe Recorder (OH, dated Aug 23, 1815). Inside page headline with report on live slaves being thrown …

The Golden Legacy comics are thoroughly professional in their writing, art, and production values, and full of enough historical surprises to interest adult readers presented in a package accessible to younger readers.

Comics in this Collection tell the stories of…

Over 400 Golden Legacy (Black History) comics in mint condition (most still in original packaging) -- known as "Illustrated History Magazines". Between 1966 and 1976 Bertram Fitzgerald (publisher) produced 16 volumes of Golden Legacy Comics. He left a legacy of hi…

Rare March 25, 1865 edition of a family journal, "The Leisure Hour." In this journal is a great article about Joseph Sturge, along with an excellent etching of Sturge. In this article the last meeting with Thomas Clarkson before he died. Here is what was written:

Autograph letter (June 24, 1845) signed ‘Joseph Sturge.’ Letter was written from Birmingham, addressed to an unknown ‘Esteemed Friend’, about parliamentary debates, with references to a speech by Sir Robert Peel (on the sugar question) and to the British and Forei…

Lord Brougham, the most prominent champion of anti-apprenticeship, acknowledged Sturge's central role in rousing British anti-slavery opinion in a speech to the House of Lords. In 1839, Sturge and others from the anti-apprenticeship campaign came together to found…

JOSEPH STURGE (A heroic abolitionist):
-- An extremely hard to find copy of the British Emancipator (January 10th, 1840 -- LAST EDITION!), the Anti-Slavery Newspaper (Dec. 27, 1837-Jan. 10, 1840). "After having formally announced the Emancipator of December 25th as…

Hard-to-find First Edition copy of Paul Robeson, Citizen Of The World, By Shirley Graham Du Bois Copyright 1946. Hard back with no dust jacket. In good—very good condition. Tight binding. 2nd face page has a color photo of Robeson attached. Back face page has news…

Rare First Edition copy of "There Once Was a Slave" (New York: J. Messner, 1947) by Shirley Graham Du Bois, 2nd wife of NAACP mentor, W.E.B. DuBois. Book is about Frederick Douglass.

On the rear page of Douglass's newspaper is a "Haytian Advertismement", written by Nicholas Fabre Geffrard (President of Haiti 1859-1867):      Hayti (sic) will soon gain her ancient splendor. This marvellous soil that our fathers blessed by God, conquered for us,…

Three copies of the extremely rare Douglass' Monthly newspaper:  1. October 1861 – Complete. 16 pages. Minor repairs to back page affecting five or six words. Good condition.   2. November 1861 – Complete. 16 pages. Light purple stain to side margin and part of on…

An excellent hand written letter (dated April 5, 1887) from Robert Adams, a dear friend of Frederick Douglass and also a well-known conductor on the Underground Railroad. He was also a bookseller, stationer and dealer in artist's materials from Fall River, Massach…

A First Edition copy of William Lloyd Garrison: The Story of His Life Told by His Children (1894). Below is a handwritten letter from Robert Adams making the argument that certain materials needed for preservation and also it is sure that these newspapers would be…

Scarce First Edition of "My Bondage And My Freedom", Part I -- Life As A Slave, Part II -- Life As A Freeman, by Frederick Douglass, with an introduction by Dr. James M'Cune Smith. New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1855. Illustrated with steel engrave…

Scarce First Edition of "My Bondage And My Freedom", Part I -- Life As A Slave, Part II -- Life As A Freeman, by Frederick Douglass, with an introduction by Dr. James M'Cune Smith. New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1855. Illustrated with steel engrave…

A Bit of History About the Rosetta Stone: Some scientists accompanied Napoleon's French campaign in Egypt (1798-1801). After Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Institut de l'Egypte in Cairo in 1798 some 50 became members of it. On July 15th, 1799, just over a year aft…

Description de l'Egypte, Rosetta Environs. Folio Sheet size: 55cm x 72cm. It has the Napoleonic "Sphinx" cartouche it the upper corner of the sheet. Not a reproduction or re-strike of any kind. This print was purchased nearly 40 years ago in Cairo. From: Descripti…

A genuine issue of the January 7th, 1799 Connecticut Courant, detailing the "Landing of Buonaparte's army in Egypt" and its progress in Cairo. Fascinating content.

-- Authentic issue of the Salem Gazette (Dec. 7, 1798), containing a literal translation of General …

Extremely Rare Museum Quality Full Face Casting of the Rosetta Stone -- In the 1970’s, the British Museum made a mold of the full face of the Rosetta Stone, and cast a small number of 1st generation casts. When I acquired this I was told maybe only 12-15 had been …

A First Edition 55-page article entitled, "The Rosetta Stone" in Archaeologia: Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity, Volume XVI, published by The Society of Antiquaries of London. 1812. Some of the first published articles about the Rosetta Stone. This is hi…

Many international Slave-related hand written manuscripts from colonial Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and other parts of South America, Puerto (Porto) Rico and Cuba...most written in Old Spanish -- Dates: 1553, 1567(3 documents), 1597, 1604, 1608, 1609 (2 documents), 1…

Museum quality portrait of John Brown, the famous abolitionist who fought to end slavery prior to the outbreak of the civil war. The reverse of the painting has the information "The Abolitioner, John Brown, born 1800 died 1859". The garland branch motif, at the bo…

Many original 16mm films: The Emancipation Proclamation -- Ethiopia: Ancient Land, Strategic Land -- Negro Slavery -- Sound of Sunshine, Sound of Rain (social propaganda film) -- Jesse Owens: 1936 Olympics -- William: From Georgia To Harlem -- Slavery and Slave Re…

A beautiful original charcoal drawing of Peter Paul Rubens, the famous Flemish painter. The picture is signed "Frederic Le???, 1834. It measure approximately 8x10 and is drawn on paper with age marks typical for that time period.
-- Also in this collection is an or…

Original 1883 antique engraving (Edmond Ramus) of the "Four Negro Heads" by Flemish painter, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Handmade laid paper, watermarked -- Arches. This folio etching with crisp lines and strong plate impression was produced by J. Rouam and Rem…

National Bank of Boston check from Ticknor and Fields (owners of Atlantic Monthly) to Harriet Beecher Stowe (signed Nov. 17, 1863) most probably as payment ($100) for her compelling Atlantic Monthly article (April, 1863), "Sojourner Truth, The Libyan Sibyl".
-- Two…

Two original broadsides (posters) for Parsons & Pool's presentation of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Printed on very thin newsprint, it measures 9 5/16" X 24" and is a light lilac color. A staple of the post-Civil War theatre were numerous traveling companies presenting dram…

Two rare First Edition 1858 copies of "Truth Stranger than Fiction Father Henson's Story of His Own Life" with an introduction by Mrs. Harriet Stowe and with illustrated frontispiece of Josiah Henson. Published by John P. Jewett and Company, Boston, hardcover edit…

First Edition copy (1852) of the British "Uncle Tom's Cabin", written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published by John Cassell before the US edition, illustrated by George Cruikshank with 27 woodcuts.
-- Another First Edition copy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published in UK …

The Black Dispatch (Oklahoma City African American newspaper), March 30, 1919, with large lettering near the top of the front page:"Madam C.J.Walker At Rest." The sub-headline on the front page reads: "Madam Walker Dies."
-- Five tins of "Sweet Georgia Brown" Hair …

The collection owns seven (7) Madam Walker tins of hair care products.
-- Vintage wood handled pressing combs (twelve) are in used, as-found condition. They've been in a storage building for years. The brand name on the handles is "Black Beauty," similar to what Ma…

Madame C.J. Walker: Almost-impossible--to-find Hair Glossine (unused sample tin, with product untouched) and Superfine Face Powder (actual unused and untouched product) in mint condition and a tin of Hair & Scalp Preparation (excellent condition, with a little bit…

BACKGROUND: Annie Turnbo Malone (1869-1957) was one of the richest African American women in the United States at one time just a generation after slavery had ended in the country. During the 1920s, Malone was reported to have been worth fourteen million dollars. …

1926 First Edition copy of Poro College in Pictures. -- a short history of its development. The many images of the college are absolutely stunning, costing over a half a million dollars to construct! The Founder and President of Poro College was none other than An…

A tin that, to put it mildly, is of great historical significance. It is Madame CJ Walker's Glossine with the statement on the front, "For Beatifying and Softening Kinky Hair." Madame CJ Walker was an early industrial pioneer around the time of other industrial ti…

Christian Advocate and Journal, New York, December 11, 1862. An 8-page original Civil War Era newspaper in very good condition. Bright, durable and readable. Contents include, Emancipation: The President's Scheme -- The preliminary Emancipation Proclamation to tak…

Absolutely rare bas relief copy in miniature of the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE with signatures and a vignette of the Signers at the center.  Done by S H Black in 1859.  Says at bottom "Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1859 by S H Black in the Cler…

 Washington: Government Printing Office. 1863. 37th Congress, 3rd Session. Rep. Com. No. 108. Part III—Department of the West. As the Civil War entered its third year, a feeling arose throughout the country that the Union armies had failed to measure up to their C…

Incredibly rare JOURNAL OF THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BEING THE FIRST SESSION OF THE THIRTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS, BEGUN AND HELD AT THE CITY OF WASHINGTON, DECEMBER 7, 1863, in the Eighty-Eighth Year of the Independence of the United States, 1042 pages…

Remarkably rare Journal of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia: Begun and Held in the City of Richmond, 1859-1860 (1500 pages!!!). James E. Goode, Senate Printer. This is an enormous volume that includes hundreds of documents including Governor Reports and …

and also a report titled "Returned Prisoners", no date of publication, but probably May, 1864 just after the reports were made public.  Graphic Eyewitness testimony and question and answer sessions. Four prints of prisoners. In April 1864, the Union garrison at Fo…

 Taney wrote for the majority. In the first section of his opinion, he held that the case must be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. Scott, being a Negro, could be a citizen of a state–that was a matter of state law –- but he could not be a citizen of the United …

Front Cover Portraits of Dred Scott, His Wife, Harriet and Children Eliza & Lizzie!. Multi-Column Details of His Life, Family and The Decision of The Supreme Court! An Original and Complete Issue of LESLIE'S WEEKLY dated June 27, 1857. Fine Illustrations with Rep…

Rare Senate report (March 8, 1860) stating that 7 families are asking for compensation for slaves taken and carried away by the British during the War of 1812.
-- House of Representative Resolution (February 26, 1866) about the "Protection of Emancipated Slaves and…

1860 Congressional Report Civil War, 835 pages. A lot of discussion about slavery-related issues.

The Emancipation", January 24, 1863 Harper's Weekly. Famous double page engraving by Thomas Nast, the subject of which is Emancipation. Measures 22" x 15 1/2". Condition is very good.

Rare Abraham Lincoln Campaign first edition book printed during Lincoln's presidential campaign of 1860. POLITICAL DEBATES BETWEEN HON. ABRAHAM LINCOLN and HON. STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS In the Celebrated Campaign of 1858, in Illinois; INCLUDING THE PRECEDING SPEECHES OF…

Abraham Lincoln signed 25 copies of the Emancipation Proclamation. In this collection are two copies of the Emancipation Proclamation directly from one of the originals signed by Lincoln in 1863.

1854 Congressional Report -- African Slave Trade -- Brazil. 33d Congress, 1st Session - Senate - Ex Doc. No. 47.  14 pages. Titled "Message From The President of the United States, Communicating, In compliance with a resolution of the Senate, the correspondence be…

1862 Congressional Globe, 960 pages. Containing the debates and proceedings of the Second Session of the Thirty-seventh Congress. Edited by John C. Rives and published at the Congressional Globe Office, Washington, 1862.  very slight occasional foxing, otherwise i…

Congressional Globe 1858 debates proceeding US congress. The Congressional Globe: Containing the Debates and Proceedings of the Second Session of the Thirty-Fifth Congress: Also, of the Special Session of the Senate. by John C. Rives. Washington: John C. Rives, 18…

An extremely rare bound historical account of the Congress (468 pages), titled APPENDIX TO THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE, dated 1859 with the first part being the speech given by Pres. James Buchanan to the Joint Session of the Congress. Excellent historical account of …

Supreme Court Reports (1801 - 1882) -- a collection of 98 books of US Supreme Court Reports. They were published in 1903 by the Banks Law Publishing Company. They cover Supreme Court case law from 1801 to 1882. Imagine what has been stated about the Missouri Compr…

The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an appendix, containing important state papers and public documents, and all the laws of a public nature; with a copious index. Volume II, comprising (with volume 1) the period from March 3, 17…

Abridgement of the Debates of Congress from 1789 to 1856 from Gales and Seaton's Annals of Congress; from Their Register of Debates; and from the Official Reported Debates. By John C. Rives - Vol XII covers the debates of the 22nd Congress, 1832-1836. New York: D.…

First Day Cover French Stamp about Victor Schoelcher -- Victor (1804-1893) was a French humanitarian, statesman and writer who devoted his life and fortune to the abolition of slavery in the French colonies. Victor was born in Paris in 1804. He was the son of a we…

Handwritten letter signed by author of Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas, along with a First Edition set of his major works. Alexandre Dumas was born in Villes-Cotterêts.
BACKGROUND: His grandfather was a French nobleman, who had settl…

18 different reports dating from 1923-1930 -- 2 are in French, the rest in English that deal with the question of slavery, including slavery conventions. The reports are 8" x 14' tall. There is one report: 'Communication with the Government of Liberia' (1930) that…

9. "The Internal Administration of The Imperial Guard 1945 E.C."280 pages. This very rare book is hand stamped by the Imperial Guard and contains the rules, regulations, and forms of the Imperial Guard of His Majesty Haile Selassie I. This book contains a nice pho…

Steel/wood engravings, etchings, handwritten/signed letters, books, and/or CDVs (many with facsimile or genuine signatures) of anti-slavery abolitionists, like John Jay, Henry Thornton (relative of William Wilberforce), Isaac Hopper (founded the Underground Railro…

Autographed letter (8” x 9 ¾”) signed, front and back, March 7, 1870, from Wendell Phillips to Rev. Francis Hodgson. “…Hearing that our change of my lecture to the Last Acts, has been objected to and some fault found with yourself…I desire to say…that the fault, i…

William Lloyd Garrison: The Story of His Life", 1st Edition books (I&II), 1885, by his children.

Extracts from The Minutes of the Yearly Meeting Of Friends (Quakers) held in Philadelphia 1856. Philadelphia: T. Ellwood Chapman No. 1 South Fifth Street, 1856. 24 pages with front and back cover. Includes following Meetings: Philadelphia; Abington; Bucks; Concord…

An extremely rare 1794 edition of "The Journal of John Woolman", printed in Dublin. It is the first edition printed after his death. 464 pages, leather-bound. Woolman is said to be the very first abolitionist in America.
BACKGROUND: John Woolman (October 19, 1720 –…

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF LETTER: William Dickson, a former secretary to the Governor of Barbados (Hon. Edward Hay) and the author of 'Letters on Slavery' (1789), was engaged by the London Anti-Slavery Society to gain support for the abolition movement in Scotland.…

An intriguing hand written letter (dated March 12, 1792) from Banff, Scotland, written by George Robinson, sent to Cam Haliburton, Esq. Edinburgh. In the letter Robinson states there is a petition to abolish the slave trade in Scotland......"Sir: I trust that your…

James Montgomery-- The Abolition of the Slave Trade: A Poem in Four Parts. Very hard to find. 1814, folio size, 10" x 12.5", with many engravings. London: Printed by T. Bensley. The poem "The West Indies," was written to accompany a series of pictures published as…

Thomas Clarkson. A Portraiture of Quakerism. Taken From a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles, and Character of the Society of Friends. First Edition. New York: Samuel Stansbury, 1806. 3 volumes, …

Very scarce wall plaque measuring 5 ¾ " X 8 ¾ ". The front reads:- William Wilberforce 1759 – 1833 M P For Kingston Upon Hull and Yorkshire, Emancipator. Abolition of Slavery Act 1833. The back of the plaque has the Eastgate Pottery Withernsea stamp. Made in Engla…

Rare 1835 engraving of abolitionists William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson (8.5 x 5.5) -- together in one etching, just one year after the Slave Trade had been officially abolished in England.

The Minor Poems of the Inner Temple, by William Cowper. Published, 1818 in London for John Sharpe -- 7" x 4", 108 pages. This book includes one of his more famous poems, "The Negro's Complaint", along with an engraved image. This fine volume also includes, "Sonnet…

(very rare 1795 edition, First Edition was 1764) "An Authentic Narrative of some remarkable and interesting particulars in the Life of John Newton." Communicated in a Series of Letters to the Rev. Mr. Haweis, Rector of Aldwinckle, Northamptonshire by Newton, John …

A Practical View Of The Prevailing Religious System Of Professed Christians, In The Higher And Middle Classes, Contrasted With Real Christianity", by William Wilberforce (2 copies). Measuring about 3-1/2" x 5-3/4", and 375 pages long, this small hardback book is I…

The Life of William Wilberforce (1872 edition) by his son, Samuel Lord Bishop of Winchester, published by John Murray, London. 452 pages, with engraved frontispiece, marbled page edges and endpapers, bound in blue calf with gilt pattern and lettering on the cover …

A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System by William Wilberforce, 1824. 6" x 4" x 1", in fair - poor condition -- yellowing/water damage/spotting; binding is solid. Slight old book smell.

A Practical View Of The Prevailing Religious System Of Professed Christians, In The Higher And Middle Classes, Contrasted With Real Christianity. Book by William Wilberforce. Boston: Printed by Manning & Loring, For Ebenezer Larkin. 1799. Second American Edition. …

Laminated pressings used a low quality filler core but then had a high quality playing surface bonded to it. This playing surface was shellac rich which meant that the surface noise was reduced massively. The main users of Laminated Pressings in the US were Columb…

Stock shellac pressings are those produced from a shellac and filler mix (the fillers were put in to both increase the resistance to wear and to keep the price down - shellac was and is expensive!). Because of the quantity of filler used, stock shellac surfaces te…

JIMMY LUNCEFORD & HIS ORCHESTRA ("THE JIMMIES")  - "I Need a Lift" (extremely rare 12" one-sided V-Disc 78rpm shellac test -- VP-1590, No. 568A). This song featured Kirtland Bradford on alto sax, with vocals by "The Jimmies" band.
BACKGROUND: V-Disc ("V" for Victor…

BILL DAVIS - ""Nina Never Knew" and "Rhapsody in Blue" were recorded in 1953 (Columbia Records, Okeh label  #6965 two-sided, 10" 78rpm shellac test.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG & HIS HOT FIVE - "You Made Me Love You" and "Irish Black Bottom" were recorded on November 27, 1926 (two-sided, 10" 78rpm shellac test -- #09981A & #09980A). The song, "Irish Black Bottom" was all the craze in Ireland.

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS - "Babylon By Buss" and "It's All in the Game" (two-sided 12" 2LP test -- ISLD-11). Babylon By Bus is a live album released by Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1978. The album was recorded mostly at the Pavillion de Paris in June 1978, during t…

THE DIXIE STARS - "Sweet Mandy" and "Henry Jones" were recorded on May 10, 1927 by Al Bernard and Russel Robinson (Brunswick Records, #E-23069 & #E-23064, two-sided, 10" 78rpm shellac test. Al Bernard was born in New Orleans, he became a blackface singer in minstr…

SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON - "Sonny Boy's Cold Chills" was recorded in Chicago on August 6, 1946 (RCA Victor, Record #20-2184, one-sided, 10" 78rpm shellac test.  Willis Lacy on guitar, Ransom Knowling on string bass, and Blind John Davis on piano. Aleck "Rice" Miller (…

JACKIE ROY & the COLLEGIANS - "The Leaf" and "You Made a Fool of Me" were recorded with the Ray Ellis Orchestra in March, 1953 (Columbia Records, Okeh label  #6954 two-sided, 10" 78rpm shellac test.

FRANK MURPHY - "Our Song and "What Can I Do?" were recorded with Norman Leyden in January 1953 (Columbia Records, Okeh label  #6954 two-sided, 10" 78rpm shellac test -- Master #CO48077 & #CO48060). Composers for I'll Be Sittin': S. Wyche & L Kirkland.