JOSEPHINE BAKER  – above photograph from “La Creole” (1934) Walter Film.com offers a range of vintage African-American Collectibles or Black Memorabilia that celebrate the achievements of actors, artists, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other members of the black community. Vintage African Americana (vintage original star photographs, posters, lobby cards, film scripts, newspaper articles, rare books and advertising or marketing collectibles)  identified with all types of black celebrit…

Hollywood Portrait Photography came into existence at the beginning of the 20th Century, following the relocation of the film industry from the east coast to Hollywood. These fledgling studios needed to create interest in their motion pictures by promoting the actors who stared in them. From 1910 – 1970, there were six individuals that became the photographers of choice for “shooting the stars,” and each, in their own way (as seen above in George Edward Hurrell’s stunning portrait of Marlene …

Created to feed the Hollywood studio publicity machine, Hollywood and movie star photos have become the visual record of the history of motion pictures and the era of the great motion picture studios. As a result of the increasing interest in its history and the people who made the movies, the images that captured that magic have become recognized as an art form in themselves and are becoming an important and vibrant part of collecting vintage Hollywood movie memorabilia. To learn more about …

African Americans have made an enormous contribution to American culture as actors, dancers, singers, and musicians. Whether it’s African American movie posters, movie star photographs, lobby cards, marketing materials or film scripts, these visual affirmations of their artistry and success have grown ever more popular as objects to be collected by both private and institutional collectors.

The video, Collecting Movie Photographs, is just one of the videos Walterfilm has produced that deal with the history of film and motion picture ephemera and is an important part of its Curatorship Program.