Between the Covers

Hardcover. Two oblong folios. Measuring 14" x 11". String tied, black leather boards with “Photograph Album” printed in gilt on each cover. Contains 614 black and white or color photographs measuring between 2” x 1” and 10” x 8”, with a few of them captioned. One album has a detached front board with bumped corners thus very good. The other has a short tear on the front joint with lightly bumped corners, near fine; both with fine photographs.

Two photo albums of an African-American family and friends from Brooklyn and the Bronx during the 1950 up until the late-1960s. The albums are mostly focused on celebrations such as birthday parties, weddings, and graduations. The birthday parties of young people dancing, posing together in large groups, playing drums, singing into tape recorders, and cuddling close on couches. Also included are pictures of young people dancing at a bar, The Surf Room Lounge in New York. Two pictures from the bar show interracial couples from the 1960s. There are several full page pictures of different weddings. Each includes the invitation and “Thank You” card affixed to the album with the couples’ names captioned below the photographs. Some of the pictures are candids, and others are well composed shots of the brides in their gowns. One set of wedding pictures includes newspaper cut outs about the bride’s lavish, Victorian gown and about her and her husband’s work at local hospitals.

The albums feature pictures of young men in military uniforms during the Vietnam War. Some of the men are on base posing in front of their cabins or next to cars, sometimes holding guns. Some pictures are of the men’s partners wearing shorts and military caps. There are also pictures in both albums of African-American police officers. One of the albums has a large section devoted to a Caribbean vacation. There are maps and pictures from Antigua as well as St. Kitts Island. A couple photographs show a festival with children and adults dressed in costume, some of which include a banana, a goat, a “village pump,” a chocolate bar, “nugget black shoe polish,” a boat, a magician, and a queen. Other ephemera includes magazine and newspaper clippings as well as a small card with the words, “Thanks For Taking Two Parking Spaces. I Had To Park 2 Blocks Away You Stupid Inconsiderate Bastard” printed in red.

An interesting collection of African-American family photos showing a multitude of fun party candids and shots of army bases during the Vietnam War from the 1950s through 1960s.

Item #419859