Research Catalog

Jean Léon Destiné collection.

Title: Jean Léon Destiné collection.
Author: Destiné, Jean Léon
Publication: 1948-1958.

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Item details
Status	Container	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request Appointment Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person.	Box 2	Still image	Use in library	Sc Photo Jean Léon Destiné Collection Box 2	Schomburg Center - Photographs & Prints
Request Appointment Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person.	Box 1	Still image	Use in library	Sc Photo Jean Léon Destiné Collection Box 1	Schomburg Center - Photographs & Prints

Details

Additional Authors

Description

171 items (.5 cubic ft., 2 boxes); 26 x 21 cm and smaller.
142 photographic prints : gelatin silver, black and white ;
2 photographic prints : gelatin silver, black and white ;
1 photographic postcard : gelatin silver, black and white ;
1 stat : black and white ;
25 negatives : gelatin silver, black and white ;

Summary

Collection depicts the professional activities of Haitian-born dancer and choreographer Jean Léon Destiné during the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Many items, which include studio portraits and views of dance productions, may have been used for publicity purposes. Destiné's personal life is not depicted; portraits of personal friends and views of Haiti are limited.
The collection consists of studio portraits of Destiné, that include head shots, and quarter to full-length portraits in various dance costumes; portraits of Destiné with dancer Jeanne Ramon; group portraits showing Destiné with members of his dance company; views of dance productions, probably staged for photography sessions, that are held in both indoor and outdoor settings; and views of stage productions. Among the dance productions depicted are "Slave Dance," "Bal Champêtre" ("Country Life") and "Witch Doctor."
Also included are studio portraits of Haitian drummers Alphonse Cimber and Ti Roro, who collaborated with Destiné on his stage performances and sound recordings. Destiné is also depicted attending social gatherings, a rehearsal, and a medal presentation in Haiti.

Subjects

Genre/Form

Portrait photography – 1940-1959.
Group photographs – 1940-1959.
Publicity photographs – 1940-1959.
Gelatin silver prints – 1940-1959.

Note

Title based on photo captions and related printed material.
Some photographs bear photographer's or photography studio's hand stamp on verso; some items bear photographer's blind stamp; some items bear photographer's signature on recto; some items bear photographer's name on recto. Some items bear handwritten captions on verso; some items bear handwritten captions on recto; some items bear printed caption labels attached to verso.
Some items bear cropping marks; some items are cropped; two items are mounted and bear retouching marks. One item bears inscription on recto. Some items are duplicates.
Collection contains work by Foto Hermanos Mayo, Foto-Semo, Dwight Godwin, Juan Gyenes, John Lindquist, and Hamilton Wright, among others.

Terms of Use (note)

Some items are restricted; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.

Biography (note)

Jean-Léon Destiné, 1918-2014, was a Haitian dancer and choreographer whose work brought international attention to traditional Haitian dance and music. As a young man, Destiné joined the folkloric ensemble directed by Haitian musician Lina Mathon Blanchet, which performed in Washington, D.C. (1941). While studying linotype operation and journalism, Destiné continued to study dance and established a dance career in both Haiti and the U.S. In 1946, he joined Katherine Dunham's dance company as a guest dancer in the Broadway revue "Bal Negre," and was the featured dancer in the New York City Opera's production of "Troubled Island" (1949).
In 1949, he briefly returned to Haiti and helped establish Le Troupe Nationale Folklorique. Residing in New York, Destiné, by the early 1950s, had established his own dance company, Destiné Afro-Haitian Dance Company, which presented a mixture of traditional dance style with Haitian folkloric style and vodou ritualistic dance. He would continue to perform until his later years. Destiné died in New York City in 2014.

Call Number

Sc Photo Jean Léon Destiné Collection

OCLC

1055678317

Author

Destiné, Jean Léon, collector.

Title

Jean Léon Destiné collection.

Production

1948-1958.

Type of Content

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

sheet

Terms Of Use

Some items are restricted; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.

Biography

Jean-Léon Destiné, 1918-2014, was a Haitian dancer and choreographer whose work brought international attention to traditional Haitian dance and music. As a young man, Destiné joined the folkloric ensemble directed by Haitian musician Lina Mathon Blanchet, which performed in Washington, D.C. (1941). While studying linotype operation and journalism, Destiné continued to study dance and established a dance career in both Haiti and the U.S. In 1946, he joined Katherine Dunham's dance company as a guest dancer in the Broadway revue "Bal Negre," and was the featured dancer in the New York City Opera's production of "Troubled Island" (1949).

In 1949, he briefly returned to Haiti and helped establish Le Troupe Nationale Folklorique. Residing in New York, Destiné, by the early 1950s, had established his own dance company, Destiné Afro-Haitian Dance Company, which presented a mixture of traditional dance style with Haitian folkloric style and vodou ritualistic dance. He would continue to perform until his later years. Destiné died in New York City in 2014.

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Added Author

Godwin, Dwight, photographer.

Gyenes, Juan, photographer.

Lindquist, John, photographer.

Mancuso, Ben, photographer.

Mélançon, Louis, photographer.

Soto, Raúl Anaya, photographer.

Wright, Hamilton, photographer.

Foto Hermanos Mayo, photographer.

Foto-Semo (Mexico City, Mexico), photographer.

Research Call Number

Sc Photo Jean Léon Destiné Collection

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