Josephine Baker – An African-American in Paris
THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH: Paris: Henri Manuel, (1927). Vintage original 9 1/2 x 7″ (24 x 18 cm.) black-and-white print still photo, France. Photo has on verso a stamp of photographer Henri Manuel and a 1927 date stamp, NEAR FINE.
Joséphine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalized French Joséphine Baker; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975) at the age of 13 went from being a “street child”, living in the slums of St. Louis, sleeping in cardboard shelters, scavenging fo…
Judy Garland @ 100
A major moment of movie memorable as well as an important birthday for one very famous female vocalist happened this year. Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm on the 10th of June 1922) turned 100. In honor of her centennial birthday, celebrations have taken place across the United States and at Garland-loving locations around the world.
Derek Jarman – Gay British Film Maker
In celebration Gay Pride 2022, Walter Film is highlighting Derek Jarman (1942-1994), one of the preeminent gay filmmakers of the late Twentieth Century, and one of the great names in British “queer (as it was known)” cinema. From the time of his feature film, SEBASTIANE (which rendered the story of Saint Sebastian in what for its time was disturbingly overt homoerotic imagery), Jarman left an indelible imprint on the history of LGBTQ art.
ARCHIVE OF UNPUBLISHED SIGNED AUTOGRAPHED LETTERS …
Clarence Muse – America’s First Black Movie Star
Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an African American actor, screenwriter, director, singer, and composer. He was the first African American to appear in a starring role in a film, 1929’s Hearts in Dixie. He acted for 50 years and appeared in more than 150 films. He was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1973.
Sergei Parajanov – Visionary Ukrainian Film Director
As the war in Ukraine surges on and Russia does its best to subjugate or, if that doesn’t work, wipe out the Ukrainians and their culture, it’s worth noting that the Soviet Union did it’s best to do something similar to Sergei Parajanov in the 1960s – 1980s.
