Leigh Rollin Whipper photograph collection

Collection Data

Description
Collection depicts some aspects of the personal life and the acting career of African American actor Leigh Whipper, from approximately the 1880s to the 1950s. Depictions of Whipper's stage and film career are limited; much of the collection depicts other performers.The collection consists of studio portraits of Whipper, family members, and other performers who were associates of Whipper's; group portraits showing Whipper with friends and colleagues; candid shots of Whipper, relatives and friends; some publicity photographs of stage and film productions; candid shots of a theater production; group portraits of a football team, a choir and some youth groups; and views of a bust of Whipper. Also included are some illustrations of Whipper, and broadsides and programs for musical performances by colleagues.Of note are portraits of Whipper's father and mother, Judge William J. Whipper and teacher/physician Frances Rollin Whipper (alias Frank A. Rollin), and his sister, reformer Dr. Ionia R. Whipper; studio portraits and candid shots of his wife Lillian Whipper; publicity photographs from the theatrical production "Stevedore" (1934); and views of sculptor Augusta Savage working on a bust of Whipper (ca. 1930s).
Names
Whipper, Leigh R. (Leigh Rollin), 1877-1975 (Collector)
Bernard, Bruno (Photographer)
Campbell, James C (Photographer)
Connelly, James Hargis (Photographer)
Crawley, Robert D (Photographer)
Haberman, Hale (Photographer)
Hawkins, David J (Photographer)
Mosley, J. M (Photographer)
Pearlene, Edward (Photographer)
Smith, Irving C (Photographer)
Fred Hess & Son (Photographer)
Talbot (New York, N.Y.) (Photographer)
Vandamm Studio (Photographer)
Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1880 - 1959
Library locations
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division
Shelf locator: Sc Photo Leigh Rollin Whipper Collection
Topics
Whipper, Leigh R. (Leigh Rollin), 1877-1975
Whipper, Leigh R. (Leigh Rollin), 1877-1975 -- Performances
Whipper, William J., 1852-1906
Rollin, Frank A
Whipper, Ionia R
African American actors
African Americans in the performing arts
African American singers
African American families
African Americans -- Social life -- 1910-1959
Publicity photographs
Genres
Photographs
Portraits
Drawings
Notes
Content: Some photographs bear photographer's or photography studio's hand stamp on verso; some items bear photographer's name on recto; one item bears photographer's signature on recto. Some items bear handwritten captions on verso; some items printed captions attached to verso; two items bear printed captions on verso; some items bear printed captions on recto.
Content: Many items are mounted to loose scrapbook pages; one item is mounted to verso of scrapbook cover; some scrapbook pages bear handwritten captions. Some clippings are mounted to scrapbook pages. Some mounted items bear inscriptions. Some items bear cropping marks; some items are cropped. Some items are duplicates.
Content: Collection contains work by James C. Campbell, Hale Haberman, Edward Pearlene , and Vandamm Studio, among others.
Biographical/historical: Leigh Rollin Whipper, 1877-1975, was an African American stage, film and televison actor. His best known role is that of Crooks in both the 1937 Broadway production "Of Mice and Men" and the 1939 motion picture version. Whipper was the first African American member of the Actors' Equity Association (1913), and a co-founder of the Negro Actors Guild of America (1937).
Citation/reference: Forms part of the Leigh Rollin Whipper Papers, 1861-1963.
Physical Description
Extent: 162 items (.3 cubic ft., one box)
Extent: 132 photographic prints :gelatin silver, black and white, some hand color ;26 x 21 cm and smaller.
Extent: 3 photographic prints :gelatin silver, black and white ;34 x 26 cm and smaller.
Extent: 8 photomechanical prints :halftone, black and white ;26 x 21 cm and smaller.
Extent: 3 programs :halftone, black and white ;30 x 22 cm and smaller.
Extent: 9 broadsides :halftone, black and white ;30 x 23 cm and smaller.
Extent: 3 drawings :ink, black and white ;10 x 10 cm and smaller.
Extent: 1 drawing :charcoal, black and white ;28 x 14 cm
Extent: 1 drawing :crayon, color ;28 x 19 cm
Extent: 1 stat :black and white ;28 x 21 cm
Extent: 1 negative :gelatin silver, black and white ;18 x 13 cm
Type of Resource
Still image
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 1054360064
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21663046
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): ca1305b0-34b6-0138-0d0b-1fc15de3621e
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