Research Catalog

William Pickens photograph collection

Title
William Pickens photograph collection [graphic].
Author
Pickens, William, 1881-1954.
Publication
1925-1946.

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Still imageUse in library Sc Photo William Pickens CollectionSchomburg Center - Photographs & Prints

Details

Additional Authors
  • Hartsook.
  • Bachrach.
  • Brown, A.H.
  • Delar.
  • Smith, Morgan, 1910-1993.
  • Herbert Mitchell Studio (New York, N.Y.)
Found In
p1bc Pickens, William, 1881-1954. William Pickens papers, 1906-1954 (CstRLIN)NYPW95-A153
Description
  • 95 items (.3 lin. ft., 1 box); 26 x 21 cm. and smaller.
  • 19 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ;
  • 17 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ;
  • 33 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ;
  • 15 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ;
  • 2 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ;
  • 5 photographic postcards : silver gelatin, b&w ;
  • 2 posters : halftone photomechanical, b&w ;
  • 2 illustrations : b&w ;
Summary
The William Pickens Photograph Collection depicts some aspects of his personal life and his professional career as a writer, orator, an official for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.), and a United States Treasury Department official, from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Portrait photographs – 1920-1949.
  • Group portraits – 1920-1949.
  • Snapshots – 1920-1949.
  • Photographic postcards – 1920-1949.
  • Posters.
  • Gelatin silver prints – 1920-1949.
  • Halftone photomechanical prints.
  • Inscriptions – 1920-1939.
Note
  • Title devised by cataloger.
  • Some photographs have photographer's or photographic studio's name hand stamped on verso; some images have photographer's or photography studio's name either printed or handwritten on recto; one photograph has photographer's name on label attached to recto.
  • Some photographs bear either handwritten or typewritten notations on verso; some photographs bear printed or handwritten captions on recto; two items have typewritten captions attached to verso; one image has typewritten label on recto.
  • Some items bear inscriptions; some items have water damage on edges; some photos are duplicates.
  • Collection contains work by Bachrach, Delar, A.H. Brown, Hartsook, M. Smith, and Herbert Mitchell Studio, among others.
Terms of Use (note)
  • Some items are restricted; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.
Biography (note)
  • William Pickens, educator, orator, civil rights activist and government official, was born in Anderson County, South Carolina, in 1881.
Linking Entry (note)
  • Forms part of the William Pickens Papers, 1906-1954.
Call Number
Sc Photo William Pickens Collection
OCLC
NYPG99-F16
Author
Pickens, William, 1881-1954.
Title
William Pickens photograph collection [graphic].
Imprint
1925-1946.
Terms Of Use
Some items are restricted; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.
Biography
William Pickens, educator, orator, civil rights activist and government official, was born in Anderson County, South Carolina, in 1881. Raised and educated in Arkansas, he would receive several college degrees including a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics from Yale University (1904); a Master of Arts from Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee (1908); and a literature doctorate from Selma University (1915). He also served as a Latin and German instructor at Talladega College, Alabama (1904-1909); head of the Greek and Sociology Departments at Wiley College, Marshall, Texas (1909-1915), from where he received a law doctorate in 1920; and Dean (1915-1920) and Vice President (1918-1920) of Morgan College, Baltimore.
In 1920, Pickens become Field Secretary and the Director of the Branches for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.), using his organizing and oratory skills to successfully raise funds and membership for the organization. He also served as Forum Leader of the Federal Forum Projects of the United States, Department of the Interior (1937-1938) and, in 1940, was appointed by New York Governor Herbert Lehman to the Selective Service System Appeals Board in New York City.
In 1942, during the Second World War, Pickens officially resigned from the N.A.A.C.P. to become Director and Chief of the Interracial Section of the Savings Bond Division, U.S. Treasury Department, where he successfully led black bond buyers through eight war bond drives. After the war, he travelled thousands of miles across the country to sell African-Americans on the idea of thrift through government securities. After retiring in 1951, he began to travel extensively and write articles for various newspapers. He would die while on a Caribbean cruise, off Kingston, Jamaica, in 1954.
Linking Entry
Forms part of the William Pickens Papers, 1906-1954.
Local Note
Sc MG 2
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Added Author
Hartsook. Photographer
Bachrach. Photographer
Brown, A.H. Photographer
Delar. Photographer
Smith, Morgan, 1910-1993. Photographer
Herbert Mitchell Studio (New York, N.Y.)
Found In:
p1bc Pickens, William, 1881-1954. William Pickens papers, 1906-1954 (CstRLIN)NYPW95-A153
Research Call Number
Sc Photo William Pickens Collection
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