Sale 2471 - Printed & Manuscript African Americana, March 29, 2018

373 374 374 c   (THEATER.) Ayers, Lemuel; artist. Costume design for Pearl Bailey as Butterfly in St. Louis Woman. Watercolor on heavy paper, 12 x 9 1 / 2 inches, with a card of fabric samples stapled to recto and a manuscript description taped to verso, inked union stamp and artist’s signature on verso; 2-inch closed tear on right edge. [New York, 1945] [700/1,000] An original costume design by Lemuel Ayers (1915-1955) for the Broadway musical St. Louis Woman by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, set in 1898 St. Louis. It ran for 113 performances at the Martin Beck Theater in 1946. 375    (THEATER.) Sackler, Howard. Pair of working scripts for the Broadway production of The Great White Hope. [2], 76, 53, 52; [2], 78, 50, 52 mimeographed leaves, printed on one side. 2 volumes. 4to, original post binders with synthetic wrappers, minor wear; copiously annotated by John Gleason, the lighting designer for the original production. NewYork, June and October 1968 [250/350] The GreatWhite Hope was a dramatic presentation of the life and interracial romance of the boxer Jack Johnson. It debuted off Broadway in December 1967.These two scripts were apparently produced in preparation for the play’s October 1968 Broadway debut.The play was received with great acclaim: a Pulitzer Prize,Tony Awards including one for James Earl Jones as Johnson; and even praise from Muhammad Ali.A successful film adaptation followed in 1970. 376 c   (THEATER.) Childress, Alice. Postcard sent while visiting Ghana. Postcard depicting “A Ghanaian with his bow and arrows” produced by the Tourist Corporation in Accra, inscribed on verso with an Autograph Note Signed by Alice Childress to Bill Downer of Brooklyn, NY, with stamps and inked postmark; minor wear. University of Ghana, Legon, [26 August 1974 from postmark?] [300/400] The prolific playwright and novelist Alice Childress (1916-1994) wrote “Nathan is enjoying lots of good traditional music. I’ve seen several plays including ‘Hello Out There’ and an African version of ‘The Trojan Woman.’ Meeting chiefs, going to festivals.”