Four Bicyclists

Four bicyclists, Denver, CO c. early 1900s, by Charles S. Lillybridge

Army Air Forces

"Jackie Wilson (left) and Ray Robinson have fought two bitterly contested ring encounters. Now it's Sgt. Wilson and Pvt. Robinson in the same Aviation Squadron at Mitchel Field, New York, and they stand shoulder to shoulder--ready for a fight to the death on the Axis." 1943. 208-PU-214B-5.

National Archives

US Navy

"The crew of the U.S. Navy submarine chaser [PC 1264] salutes the United States flag as the 173-foot long escort vessel is commissioned in a U.S. East Coast port. As soon as they qualify through experience and training, eight members of the crew of 53 Negro sailors will replace the present chief petty officers." May 1, 1944. 208-N-26553.

National Archives 

African American History

First African American man to be drafted from Seattle, Washington. - NARA, ca. 1917 - 1919, 
War Department. (1789 - 09/18/1947)

Wikimedia Commons | National Archives and Records Administration | cooperation project

Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King and her daughter, Yolanda, photographed by Moneta Sleet for EBONY in 1958. Moneta Sleet was the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer who took the famous shot of Mrs. King with her daughter Bernice at Dr. King’s funeral in 1968.

via vintageblackglamour

Vaudeville Actresses

The girls in the Cotton Club’s Review, NYC c.1933, (Vaudeville Gals, Ethel Waters, in the center)

lascasartoris | (via dusttracksonaroad

Rudy and Fredy Walker

 Rudy and Fredy Walker,  Le  Trans-Atlantic 1903

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong plays for his wife in front of the Sphinx by the pyramids in Giza, 1961

nedhardy

African Americans

Two African American Men posing in the 1920s 

Women's Tennis Class

Wordless Wednesday: Howard U Women’s Tennis Class, 1930s

blackoncampus | via Smithsonian Institution Portraits of a City

Pussycat Dolls

The Original "Pussycat Dolls", 1920s, African-American Vaudeville performers (showgirls/chorus line)dressed in very risque (for the time) feline (cat) costumes.

Brass Band

African-American Brass Band

image0-rubylane

New Orleans

Parade, New Orleans by  William Claxton

firsttimeuser

The Black Eagle of Harlem

The Black Eagle of Harlem, In the 1930s, Julian’s rival, John Robinson (at far right), founded a pilots’ association to promote aviation among African-Americans. The truth behind the tall tales of Hubert Fauntleroy Julian.

Source: airspacemag | by David Shaftel | Air & Space magazine

Nicholas Brothers

The Nicholas Brothers were a famous African American team of dancing brothers, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold (1921–2000). With their highly acrobatic technique ("flash dancing"), high level of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many the greatest tap dancers of their day. Growing up surrounded by Vaudeville acts as children, they became stars of the jazz circuit during the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance and went on to have successful careers performing on stage, film, and television well into the 1990s.

Source: wikipedia

Chorus Line

photograph of chorus line

Source: library.yale.edu | Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library | Clark, Bonnie | 1909-1958

Tap Dance Trio

Publicity portrait of unidentified tap dance trio.    

Source:   digitalgallery.nypl  |   Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture/ Photographs and Prints Division  |   The New York Public Library

African American Sharecroppers

Children of African-American Sharecroppers, Little Rock, Arkansas by Ben Shahn, 1935, Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969 photographer

via Library of Congress via pingnews., Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA

Shuffle Along

Lyricist Noble Sissle and cast members from the musical "Shuffle Along," ca. 1921.   

             Source: digitalgallery | Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / Photographs and Prints Division           

African American Infantry Regiment

The 369th Infantry Regiment, formerly the 15th New York National Guard Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the United States Army that saw action in World War I and World War II. The 369th Infantry is known for being the first African-American regiment to serve with the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. The regiment was nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters and the Black Rattlers, in addition to several other nicknames.

 Wikipedia