People, Locations, Episodes

Aida Overton Walker, Entertainer born

*On this date we recall Aida Overton Walker, born in 1880. She was a singer, dancer, actress, and choreographer, regarded as the leading African American female performing artist at the turn of the century.

Carl Van Vechten, Photographer, and Writer born

*Carl Van Vechten was born on this date in 1880. He was a White American Photographer and writer whose photographs gave legitimate exposure to the Black experience in America.

Edwin Harleston, Portrait Artist born

*On this date in 1882, Edwin Harleston was born. He was a Black painter. From Charleston, S.C., Edwin Augustus Harleston was one of eight children, his father was a rice planter, a sea captain, and owned a funeral home.

Ford Dabney, Ragtime Pianist and Composer born.

*Ford Dabney was born on March 15, 1883. He was a Black ragtime pianist, composer, songwriter, and band director. Ford Thompson Dabney was from Washington, D.C., and was the son of John Wendell Dabney. He attended the business education division of M Street High School and Dunbar High School) grades nine through eleven. Dabney then […]

Hazel Harrison, Pianist and Educator born

Hazel Harrison was an African American pianist and teacher and was born on this date in 1883.

Portia Washington Pittman, Teacher born

Portia Washington Pittman was born on this date in 1883, in Tuskegee, AL. She was an African American musician and teacher, and the only daughter of Booker T. and Fanny (Smith) Washington.

Her father was the founder of Tuskegee Institute. After her mother’s death in 1884, Portia was cared for by nursemaids and two stepmothers. An accomplished pianist by the age of ten, she attended New England’s finest boarding schools, including Framingham State Normal School in Massachusetts in 1895, Tuskegee Institute, and, in 1901, Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

Dvorak’s Performance of ‘From The New World’ Debuts

*On this date in 1893, the renowned white-Czech composer Antonín Dvořák debuted the performance of his most famous symphony, This classic recognized the significance of American Negro spirituals and their contributions to the culture of the United States. Dvořák came to America at the invitation of music patron and entrepreneur Jeanette Meyers Thurber in 1892. […]

Aubrey Lyles, Stage Pioneer born

*Aubrey Lyles was born on this date in 1884. He was a Black vaudeville performer, playwright, songwriter, and lyricist.   Aubrey Lee Lyles was born in Jackson, Tennessee, and attended Fisk University in Nashville as a medical student. He began performing as one half of a comedy duo, Miller and Lyles, with his friend Flournoy […]

Georgette Harvey, Stage and Screen Actress born

*Georgette Harvey was born on this date in 1884. She was an African American actress.

Grace Nail Johnson, Arts Advocate born

*Grace Nail Johnson was born on this date in 1885. She was a Black activist and patron of the arts.   Grace Elizabeth Nail was born in New London, Connecticut, the second child of real estate developer John Bennett Nail and Mary Frances Robinson. By the time she was born, the Nails had already become […]

Myrtle Sheldon, Illustrator born

*Myrtle Sheldon was born on this date in 1886.  She was a Black illustrator of children’s books.  She was born in Menomonee, Waukesha, Wisconsin, and illustrated many children’s books, some without attribution at the time of publication. Those publicly credited include A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, Ellen Tarry’s Janie Belle, and […]

James Van Der Zee, Photographer born

On this date, James Van Der Zee was born in 1886. He was an African American photographer whose portraits of Black New Yorkers chronicled the Harlem Renaissance.

Lottie Gee, Vaudville Performer born

*Lottie Gee was born on this date in 1886. She was a Black dancer and singer who performed in shows and musicals during the Harlem Renaissance. Charlotte O. ‘Lottie’ Gee was born in Millboro, Virginia. Initially a dancer in Aida Overton Walker’s shows, she appeared in The Red Moon in 1904 and later toured the […]

Ada Crogman Franklin, Kansas City Administrator born

The birth of Ada Crogman Franklin in 1886 is celebrated on this date. She was an African American instructor and administrator in the performing arts.

Clementine Hunter, Folk Artist born

On this date we remember the birth of African American folk artist Clementine Hunter in 1886.