EARTHA KITT (ca. 1954-82) Photo archive

New York, Los Angeles: Various, ca. 1954-1982. Set of 7 vintage original 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm) and 7 x 9″ (17 x 22 cm) black-and-white glossy photos. Overall near fine.

Eartha Mae Kitt (1927-2008) was an American singer, actress, activist and civil rights advocate. Known for her distinctive singing style and 1953 hit “Santa Baby”, Kitt’s career spanned film, theater, cabaret, music and television. Kitt faced ostracization for her mixed-race heritage, claiming she was conceived through rape. She toured internationally in her late teens with a dance company, eventually settling in Paris where she became a popular nightclub singer. (Wikipedia)

Rising from extreme poverty in South Carolina to global superstardom, she broke racial barriers in entertainment, established foundations to help at-risk youths, and used her massive platform to tirelessly advocate for civil rights and LGBTQ+ equality. As an example, Kitt worked closely with the NAACP and actively fundraised for the 1963 March on Washington demonstration. In the weeks leading up to the historic day, she joined a prominent committee of Hollywood figures — including Charlton Heston, Judy Garland and Marlon Brando — to plan and publicize their participation in the massive civil rights gathering. (Library of Congress Research Guides)

Included here: Kitt recording an early record album ca. 1953; a headshot mid-to late-1960s; receiving mail in 1968 regarding a speech she made at a Ladybird Johnson event; on stage ca. 1970; with her daughter in 1976; a 1976 candid; and celebrating with Dorothy Lamour, who had opened a cabaret act in NYC in 1982.