BAILEY, Pearl - Singer, actress, author, star of stage. An 8"x10" black and white close up glossy photograph which she has singed simply "Love, Pearl." $ 45

BAKER, Josephine (1906-75) African-American-born dancer and singer who, in the 1920s became the “toast of Paris” for her exotic style of dancing. Beyond her sizeable accomplishments in the performing arts, Baker was a great humanitarian who served in the French resistance and adopted countless children at great personal expense. Over 20,000 people attended her funeral which was broadcast on Paris television. Magnificent 3”x5” black and white, litho print glossy photo-postcard of Baker which has been very boldly signed in black fountain pen and dated 1929. Although there is slight feathering to the signature, the photographic image and signature are near perfect. Professionally double-matted with another photo-postcard of Baker on top hat and tails, under TruVue museum conservation glass, and a high-end frame. Le must for any serious collector. One dealer is selling a similar signed photograph, without any manner of conservation, for $1,750. $ 1,400

BUMBRY, Grace (1937- ) One of the leading operatic mezzo-sopranos of her generation. A 5"x7" black and white glossy Angel Records publicity photo, signed on the lower portion in black marker pen. Professionally matted. $ 75

CALLOWAY, Cab (1907-94) African-American jazz singer, bandleader and popular recording artist; born in Rochester, New York. Vintage signature on a 3”x5” card to which he has added his trademark “hi-de-ho”. Professionally matted along with two images: one is an 8”x10” black and white glossy vintage publicity image and the second is a much earlier 5”x7” black and white litho print publicity photo issued by Okeh Records. Wonderful display piece of this master of scat. $ 100

CHECKER, Chubby – A 4”x6” photograph signed boldly in marker pen. Hinged to a larger acid-free mat board. $ 75

DUNHAM, Katherine (1909- 2006) Pioneering choreographer; civil rights activist; author and academician who balanced her Broadway career with teaching kids in the inner city, died Sunday in New York City. She was 96. Signed photograph; a charming 4”x6” black and white vintage photo (circa 1960s), nicely signed in blue fountain pen ink on the lower mount. Some irregular cutting from a larger photo but, overall, an uncommon image of the great dancer in very good condition. SOLD

FITZGERALD, Ella (1917-96)

Click for Larger Image

Lady Ella; First Lady of Song. One of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century. Near mint signed card, measure 3"x5". Accompanied by a 4"x6" color litho print photo-postcard of Lady Ella as photographed by Annie Liebovitz. Included is a second 8"x10" black/white vintage glossy reproduction photograph. The ensemble professionally double-matted. $ 350

HALEY, Alex - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist; author of Roots adapted to the screen. A handsome 5"x7" black and white glossy formal pose, nicely signed in black marker pen. Inspiring gift for that budding writer! $ 65

HALL, Adelaide (1901-93) American-born British jazz singer and entertainer. Deemed one of the top 100 Brits in showbiz. She began her career in 1921 in the chorus line of the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, and went on to appear in a number of similar black musical shows, until in 1928 she starred (with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson) in Blackbirds of 1928. It was this revue that made her name, both in the U.S. and in Europe when the show was taken to Paris. Her performances in it included the songs "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby", "Diga Diga Doo", and "I Must Have That Man", which continued to be audience favorites throughout her career. Vintage album leaf accomplished in green fountain pen ink. "Most sincere wishes, Adelaide Hall, queen "Fatima" in the Sun Never Sets, Drury Lane, London." $ 75

HARRIS, Patricia Roberts – (1924-86) African-American ambassador, cabinet officer, lawyer, lecturer and professor. Named Ambassador to Luxembourg by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. Named Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1976 by Jimmy Carter. Went on to become Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. Signed photograph: measure 5”x7” black and white glossy, as a cabinet officer. Boldly signed. Harris is uncommon in authentic material. The photograph as a few minor bends and “dings” that does not, overall, detract from the image. It has been professionally matted in a rich purple board along with a set of four, Black Heritage series commemorative stamps honoring Harris. $ 125

HINES, Earl Kenneth “Fatha" (1903-83) Jazz pianist, bandleader, legendary jazz musician. Vintage signature on album leaf, thus penned “Keep Smiling, Yours fingerly, Earl “Fatha” Hines. Sufficient room for matting. An uncommon signature in very good to fine condition. $ 125

HORNE, Lena (1917 – ) African-American glamorous singer-actress and Civil Rights advocate. Woman of intense strength and conviction. Signed First Edition; Lena, by Lena Horne with Richard Schickel. Doubleday & Co., 1965. Hardbound, sans dust jacket. Lovely inscription and signature in green felt marker “To Julie------, most sincerely, Lena Horne, 1966.” Some rubbing to boards, slight fading to spine and titles but, overall, a tight book in very good condition. An interesting life story well written. $ 85

HUDSON, Jennifer - (1981- ) Academy Award and Grammy-Award winning singer and actress. Best remembered for her stellar performance in Dreamgirls. We have two superb color glossy photographs, both signed in-person at public appearances. (1) 10"x8" color character still as Effie in Dreamgirls. Boldly signed in silver marker pen. Magnificent; (2) A 8"x10" color glossy closeup shot signed in "electric blue" fluorescent marker pen (a new pen technology it seems). Both photographs are 10 on a scale of 10. Each priced at $ 50

HUGHES, Langston (1902-67) Poet, novelist,playwright, short story writer and journalist. SEE Book Section (Montage of a Dream Deferred).

HUGHES, Langston - Vintage signature professionally matted (not framed) along with a striking black and white portrait of the poet-novelist. Handsome display piece. $ 275

JORDAN, Barbara (1936-96) – First African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Congress. Document Signed; a postal first day cacheted cover honoring Ida B. Wells, Black journalist and reformer. Nicely signed in black marker pen. Professionally mounted with Mylar hinges to a larger deep purple mat board with a purple overlay board. Accompanied by a striking 8”x10” black and white, litho print portrait of Congresswoman Jordan seated in a wheelchair. Overall measure of this dramatic display piece 11.5”x17.5”. $ 100

KITT, Eartha - (1927 - ) Actor, singer, cabaret star, author. Remembered by many for her recurring role as Catwoman on Batman. An older generation remember her for such song hits as "Santa Baby." Glamour 8"x10" color glossy of the vibrant actor in a full length black lace gown with train, very boldly signed in black marker pen. Beautiful image. $ 50

MAYNOR, Dorothy (1910-96) African-American operatic soprano. Studied at the Hampton Institute and Westminster Choir School; privately with William Klamroth and John Alan Houghton.Founder of The Harlem School of Arts. Stunning 10”x12.25” color litho print publicity portrait, issued by RCA Victor. Bears an impressive dedication and signature, accomplished with great flourish. To Donald Wiegand, with all best wishes, Sincerely Yours, Dorothy Maynor. Other than a very small tear at the top of the print (away from the image) the signed print is in very good condition. Comes with a vintage magazine publicity piece on Maynor. Lovely ensemble for display. Maynor is uncommon in material of this quality. $ 195

McQUEEN, Thelma “Butterfly” (1911-95) Multi-talented star of screen and TV. Perhaps best known as “Prissy” in Gone With the Wind, 1939. Also made appearances in “Cabin in the Sky,” “Mildred Pierce” and “Duel in the Sun.” In the early 1950s she appeared on TV for two seasons in “Beulah”. Tiring of racially stereotypical roles, McQueen retired from the screen to pursue her undergraduate education, earning a B.A. in 1975. She enjoyed one more role of substance in the 1986 film “The Mosquito Coast.” Sadly, Butterfly McQueen died tragically in 1995 from burns she received trying to put out a kerosene heater in her Augusta, GA home. Signed Photograph. A 8”x10” black and white, matte-finish, vintage reproduction character still as Prissy which she signed later in life. In blue marker pen she has written “Butterfly McQueen as ‘Prissy’ of ‘G.W.T.W.’ 1939.” In fine condition and desirable as such. $125

MORRISON, Toni – Love; Signed First Edition, 2003, Alfred A. Knopf; metallic dust jacket in very good condition. Not price clipped. Signed on the title page, not a bookplate. $ 125

MORRISON, Toni Beloved; NY: Knopf, 1987. First Edition. Her fifth novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize and was the basis for the award-winning 1998 film by Jonathan Demme. Fine in a fine dust jacket (with photograph on back cover). $145

MURPHY, Eddie (1961 - ) Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor, film director, producr, comedian and recording artist. In-person signed 8"x10" color glossy character still as James "Thunder" Early in his Best Supporting Actor role from Dreamgirls. Boldly signed in blue marker pen. Superb! $ 100

POITIER, Sidney (1927- ) Star of stage, screen and TV; born in Miami but raised in the Bahamas; author; playwright, director, humanitarian. Starred or co-starred in more than 50 films. Nominated for an Academy Award for The Defiant Ones. Poitier was the first black man to win a Best Actor Academy Award (for his starring role in Lilies of the Field (1963). Kennedy Center honoree (2006). Authored an autobiography: The Measure of a Man. Signed Photograph; a 10”x8” black and white vintage reproduction glossy portrait signed contemporaneously (2001). A character still of Poitier from Blackboard Jungle. $95

ROBESON, Paul (1898-1976)

Click for Larger Image

Acclaimed African-American actor of stage and screen, singer, athlete and Civil Rights activist. Named twice to the All American Football Team. Graduated from Columbia Law School. His father was a runaway slave who went on to graduate from Lincoln University. His mother came from a family of Quakers who worked for the abolition of slavery. Played “Joe” in Edna Ferber’s hit “Showboat.” Among his other credits are: “The Emperor Jones,” (on stage in 1925 and in film later) “Song of Freedom,” “Jericho,” “King Solomon’s Mines,” “The Proud Valley,” “Native Land,” (narrator/vocalist) and “Tales of Manhattan.” Vintage autograph on an album leaf with a few additional words, accomplished in fountain pen ink dated 1930. A near perfect signature specimen. Professionally matted with a 8”x10” black and white, vintage reproduction, photograph of Robeson along with a plate of mint commemorative stamps. $ 400

SHORT, Bobby (1924-2005) American cabaret singer and recording-artist known for his interpretation of songs by 20th century composers such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke and George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. In-person signed autograph album leaf (1979). Accompanied by a handsome 8”x10” color glossy photograph of the pianist smiling broadly. Short was the “toast of New York” for decades as the headliner at Café Carlyle. $75

VAUGHAN, Sarah (1924-90) Considered by many to be the greatest jazz singer of the 20th Century. A vintage 8"x10" black and white glossy Allied Artists publicity photograph. Boldly penned "all the best, Sarah Vaughan" in blue pen. An early, desirable, image, which she signed in 1981. $ 325

WARFIELD, William (1920-2002) African-American concert baritone singer. Star of stage and screen. Graduate of The Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY (where he was raised). Longtime husband of the late Leontyne Price. Collaborated with greats such as Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland. Signed and dated book: William Warfield, My Music & My Life, 229 pages, near mint with dust jacket; Sagamore Publishing Company, 1991. Numerous illustrations. A very interesting read. $ 50

WASHINGTON, Booker T. (1856-1915) African-American educator and reformer; founder of the Tuskegee Institute. Authored “Up From Slavery.” Near-mint condition engraved calling card headed Tuskegee Institute. Washington has signed and dated the card 1909 and noted Tuskegee, Alabama. The card has been professionally double matted along with two mint, commemorative stamps as well as a handsome 5”x7” black and white, matte-finish, vintage reproduction photograph of the great educator. Encased in museum conservation glass and a high-end, carved relief wood frame. Overall dimensions are 16”x12.5”. The perfect gift for an educator or one training to become a teacher. $ 925

WATERS, Ethel (1896-1977) One of the most successful African-American singers and actresses of the 1920s to 40s. Second African-American nominated for an Academy Award. Signed autograph album leaf “Sincerely, Ethel Waters”. Acquired in-person during the Broadway run of Cabin in the Sky. Professionally matted in a burgundy-gold motif board along with a 4”x6” color litho print character still from Mambo’s Daughters. Overall measure 8”x13.5”. Mylar protected. Ready to frame. $ 125

WATERS, Ethel - Signature on album leaf with dedication (pink sheet, black marker pen. Dedication could be matted out). Signed late in life. $ 45

WE CELEBRATE the depth and diversity of human achievement in our acquisition and sale of quality autograph material and paper ephemera.

Our extensive inventory includes letters of Booker T. Washington and documents signed by Frederick Douglass. We have signed photographs of soprano Marian Anderson and signed entertainment contracts of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and other black showbiz greats.

Our well-researched catalogues regularly feature quality material of such greats as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, W. B. DuBois, John Bubbles, Zora Neale Hurston, and countless others.

More recently, we have featured “associative” material of Harlem Renaissance photo-journalist and philanthropist, Carl Van Vechten as well as librettist-author DuBose Heyward (Porgy and Bess).

Please join us in helping to underwrite this important national memorial in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Payment Options

PLACING AN ORDER – We distinguish between an inquiry and an order. If, however, we do not hear back from you on an inquiry, we can only assume you are not interested. Once an order has been placed, we actively remove merchandise from active inventory and reserve it. Thus it is not available to anyone else. PLEASE, if you place an order, remit payment within three business days or inventory returns to our catalogue. Repeated incidence of late or non-payment is not fair to existing a new clientele who may be interested in a particular item. We appreciate your understanding.

We offer several flexible payment options:

PayPal
Cashier’s check
Money order
Personal check

If paying by check or money order, please send to the address at the top of the page.

All items that we offer are subject to prior sale. Prices are in effect at the time of offering but may change without notice. New York residents must add 8.25% sales tax (8.75% in Erie County). Telephone inquiries welcome Mon-Sat 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (EST). You may also email us at mail@weekes-autographs.com.

New clients who have not established a relationship with us, and who pay by personal check, are asked to wait seven to 10 days for drafts to clear our bank before merchandise is shipped.

PayPal is a widely-accepted, fully-secure method of sending monies worldwide. Many of our clients already use PayPal. Not only does PayPal send confirmations of money transfers but it also provides buyer and seller with a detailed record of transactions for accounting purposes (especially helpful for insurance purposes). Although we guarantee everything that we sell, PayPal also offers added protection to buyers.

Important – please note: If you purchase anything from our catalogue sampling, using the PayPal Buy It Now link below, it will be necessary to confirm the shipping and insurance fees before processing your payment. Please first contact us by telephone or e-mail to determine what these additional fees will be. We generally ship via U.S. Postal Service: priority mail, certified or insured. While the majority of our clients are within the continental United States, we also have clients in Europe and Asia. Please understand that shipment overseas will be Air Parcel Post, with shipping rates variable depending upon the country of delivery.

Layaway – Young people and those on a limited budget find layaway an excellent means of acquiring material. Our terms are simple. On purchases of $200 or more, a client may place an item or items on 90-day layaway with a one-third, non-refundable deposit. Equal payments are due at 60 and 90 days, at which time material is shipped. All material remains our sole property until such time as the terms of layaway are fully met. There is no additional charge for layaway.

New York State Sales Tax – All residents of New York must factor 8.25% sales tax on their order.

Roland Hayes

Marian Anderson

Booker T. Washington