Research Catalog

Title

Thaddeus Drayton photograph collection.

Author

Drayton, Thaddeus

Publication

[1987?]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Goetze, Oskar
• Feldstein (Lausanne, Switzerland), photographer.

Found In

p1pc Drayton, Thaddeus Thaddeus Drayton collection, 1926-1960 (OCoLC)144682722

Description

• 32 items (1 folder); 26 x 21 cm
• 32 photographic prints : gelatin silver, balck and white ;

Summary

• Collection depicts aspects of the personal life and professional career of dancer Thaddeus A. Drayton from the 1910s to 1930s, consisting of studio portraits, probably used for publicity purposes, of Drayton, Drayton with his dancing partners, and of Drayton's wife Ethel Johnson; studio and group portraits of friends and colleagues; and candid shots of Drayton, his family, and friends during family gatherings and travels. Drayton's early life and later years (post-1930s) are not depicted.
• Of note are studio portraits of Drayton and dancing partner Rufus Greenlee (as Greenlee and Drayton) (ca. 1910s), Drayton with later dancing partner Lucille Smith (as Teddy Drayton and Lucille) (1935), and Drayton's future wife, Ethel Johnson, with a fellow chorus girl (ca. 1910s) and in costume on stage (n.d.). Also included are candid shots and group portraits with Drayton, Ethel, their children, and friends and acquaintances probably during visits to Germany and the Soviet Union (ca. mid-1920s). Also included is a portrait of Creighton Thompson, an expatriate African American singer living in Europe during the 1920s; and members of the Sam Wooding Orchestra who toured with Greenlee and Drayton in the Soviet Union (1926).

Subjects

• Greenlee and Drayton (Dance team)
• African Americans > Europe
• African American entertainers
• Publicity photographs > 1980-1989
• Portrait photographs > 1980-1989
• Group portraits > 1980-1989
• Thompson, Creighton, 1889-1969
• Drayton, Thaddeus
• Teddy Drayton and Lucille (Dance team)
• African American families
• African Americans in the performing arts
• African American dancers
• Gelatin silver prints > 1980-1989
• Drayton, Ethel

Genre/Form

• Portrait photographs – 1980-1989.
• Group portraits – 1980-1989.
• Publicity photographs – 1980-1989.
• Gelatin silver prints – 1980-1989.

Note

• Title taken from Thaddeus Drayton Collection.
• Some photographs bear photographer's name on recto. Some items bear printed captions on recto; some items bear inscriptions on recto. Some items are duplicates
• All items are photographic reproductions of prints originally captured during the 1910s to 1930s.
• Collection contains work by Oskar Goetze and Feldstein.

Terms of Use (note)

• Some items may be restricted; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.

Biography (note)

• Thaddeus A. Drayton, 1893-1964, was an African American dancer and stage performer noted for pioneering the "class act" tap dance style with dance partner Rufus Greenlee as the dance team Greenlee and Drayton (ca. 1909-1930s). Along with entertainer Bert Williams, Greenlee and Drayton were the only Black artists allowed to perform at New York City's Palace Theatre during World War I. After Greenlee and Drayton broke up, Drayton partnered with Lucille Smith to form the dance team Teddy Drayton and Lucille (1930s-1940s).

Linking Entry (note)

• Forms part of the Thaddeus Drayton Collection, 1926-1960.

Call Number

Sc Photo Thaddeus Drayton Collection

OCLC

1056177502

Author

Drayton, Thaddeus, collector.

Title

Thaddeus Drayton photograph collection.

Production

[1987?]

Type of Content

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

sheet

Terms Of Use

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

Biography

Thaddeus A. Drayton, 1893-1964, was an African American dancer and stage performer noted for pioneering the "class act" tap dance style with dance partner Rufus Greenlee as the dance team Greenlee and Drayton (ca. 1909-1930s). Along with entertainer Bert Williams, Greenlee and Drayton were the only Black artists allowed to perform at New York City's Palace Theatre during World War I. After Greenlee and Drayton broke up, Drayton partnered with Lucille Smith to form the dance team Teddy Drayton and Lucille (1930s-1940s).

Linking Entry

Forms part of the Thaddeus Drayton Collection, 1926-1960.

Local Note

Sc MG 389

Added Author

Goetze, Oskar, photographer.

Feldstein (Lausanne, Switzerland), photographer.

Found In:

p1pc Drayton, Thaddeus Thaddeus Drayton collection, 1926-1960 (OCoLC)144682722

Research Call Number

Sc Photo Thaddeus Drayton Collection