In the annals of auction lore, every decade or so a collection comes to market that ends up being the talk of the trade for years to come. Such collections amaze even the most advanced collectors for generating heretofore unknown specimens. Enthusiasts in the field flock to such sales so as to harvest unique, undiscovered, and one-of-a-kind material that can often only be found within the ranks of such private assemblages. It is with much excitement then that Jackson’s International Auctioneers and Appraisers of Fine Art and Antiques has announced the sale of such a collection on August 24th and 25th. Considered by many to be one of the most important of its type, the Ken Oden Collection of African American and African Postcards and Ephemera consists of over 40,000 individual pieces and is sure to be one of those auctions that will be talked about for years to come.
Sparked by an acquisition of nine postcards in an antique store nearly two decades ago, Ken Oden (a McKeesport, Pennsylvania native) went on to amass a truly unique collection of printed material which reflects the black experience in America and indeed throughout the world offering a distinctive glimpse into a past whose history is filled with stereotypes, prejudices and euphemisms portrayed through moving real photo images and colorful and creative artwork which, were it not for its often repulsive nature, would in many cases be considered charming. Working with major dealers and auction houses coast to coast as well as in Europe, Mr. Oden’s final product was a 458 album collection of over 42,000 pieces representing over 5,500 publishers and 125 different categories providing a visual archive of images reflecting the often forgotten African and African American experiences in the United States, Africa and Europe.
To be certain, the field of black memorabilia collecting (the category in which this collection falls) is charged with a variety of emotions and sentiments. Many find the images and language used to be both offensive and vile. Some wonder that if by constantly "digging up the past" that perhaps blacks are again subjecting themselves to further humiliation and prejudice. Yet others argue that history is history and such items must be saved and interpreted so as to preserve for future generations the reality of a not so distant past rife with often repugnant imagery and hyperbole.
While then NAACP does not condone the collecting of black memorabilia, representatives have, in the past, gone on record as saying they "do admit and recognize that these items can be used as an educational tool for children and adults who have never seen them. It reminds young people that things have not always been like this for black people in America" (Benjamin L. Hooks, Jr., executive director of the NAACP in the New York Times, December 1988). In delving into this collection, where almost no stone in black history (both American and worldwide) was left unturned, one can experience a veritable walk through the shadowy past of imagery and expressions which are profound and moving and just as frequently disturbing.
One of the most attractive facets of this collection is the quality and quantity of the real photo postcards, over 3,000 in all. As most collectors know, one of the unique aspects of real photo postcards is the fact that more than a few examples are truly "one-of-a-kind", because of the basic method used to produce such cards. Towards the last quarter of the 19th century, itinerant photographers crisscrossed the country producing real photo images printed on photographic paper with postcard backings. It was common for such photographers to stop by any given small town and print real photo postcards of various well-known local scenes such as churches, schools, Main Street as well as people at work and play. Scenes were sometimes only printed in very small quantities making these photos a truly unique and accurate glimpse of everyday life from America’s past. Perhaps more than any other postcard category, real photo values are primarily subject driven.
Far from Main Street however, are some of the more dark and disturbing images from this collection including examples of real photo postcards depicting lynchings, chain gangs, and whipping post scenes. One such card depicts a group of people standing beneath a black man who has been lynched and is hanging in a tree above them. It is inscribed "I send you this beautiful photograph. This is one who died by the "Unwritten Law" yesterday". On the other end of the spectrum, are examples of real photo postcards depicting Southern scenes of African American children at play and work as well as African American athletes and athletic teams (including Negro League) from the 1920s and earlier who represent the unsung heroes who laid the foundation for those who would go on to break various racial barriers in the ensuing decades. Patriotic images are also represented in the collection often depicting proud African Americans dressed in the uniform of one of the armed forces. All of which makes one wonder just what motivated these noble souls to risk their lives in the service of a country which more often than not neglected them in their own hour of need.
One of the most remarkable groupings of material in the collection to be offered will be that relating to the amazing life of Josephine Baker, a black woman who was the biggest European celebrity of her time, but ridiculed and refused service in her native country, America. The collection contains over 350 pieces including over 150 real photo cards, autographed letters, programs, and cigarette cards all featuring Baker.
Over 3,500 pieces of advertising material from the real photo to color lithograph printed pieces will be sold including hundreds of early Victorian trade cards, die-cut advertising, as well as various marketing pieces incorporating black imagery such as the Coon Chicken Inn, which has quite an interesting history. Founded in 1925 by Maxon Lester Graham and his wife, Adelaide Burt, the chain of restaurants that specialized in fried chicken became well known for their infamous head logo (a grinning, grotesque head of a bald black man with a porter’s cap and winking eye…the door was through the middle of his mouth). As one can expect, African Americans opposed this display of racial hostility and in 1930 the NAACP protested the opening of the Seattle branch of the restaurant. Threatening Graham with a lawsuit for libel and defamation of race, Graham agreed to change his advertising style by removing the word ‘Coon’ from the delivery car and repainting the ‘Coon head’ entrance to the restaurant blue.
Perhaps some of the most politically incorrect yet most highly sought after cards come under the heading of "meanspirited". With over 900 examples, these types of postcards and advertising were meant to be humorous or comical to their mainly white audience. They are easily recognizable through their sadly common stereotypical portrayal of blacks.
The Oden collection also stretches across oceans capturing a variety of aspects of everyday life across Africa. European photographs of Africa from the first part of the 20th century were varied in purpose and could be considered ambivalent in attitude. Perhaps conceived as ethnological curiosities, political propaganda or tourist advertising, in some cases, the racial undertones and voyeurism are still quite apparent. Many of these images were indeed staged or set up by the photographers to market to their European audience. Subsequently, like those in this collection, many of the images were reproduced in the form of postcards and found an international audience.
At the same time, some of the images being captured were nothing short of beautiful, such as those captured through the lens of Casimir Zagourski (1883-1944), a Polish born photographer who after a military career in the Russian Air Force and the Polish Army left Eastern Europe and moved to Africa in 1924. He made a series of memorable portraits published in an album entitled "Vanishing Africa". Much like the photography of American Edward Curtis whose work saved for posterity the noble images of the various Native American cultures, Zagourski’s Africa was incredibly romanticized and he produced some of the most magnetic and empathetic images of the Colonial period. Through the over 450 cards, one can experience different aspects of everyday life, such as housing styles and traditional gravesites. He depicted a place of culture, where scarring as body ornament was prevalent and skull deformation (head shaping) was practiced as a sign of beauty. Zagourski shows us glimpses of an Africa before the Western world changed most of their culture, houses, customs, and how they lived and died.
There are over 6,000 African cards and images in total including those by Zagourski and French photographer Edmond Fortier (1862-1928) and including real photos and printed images with hundreds of nudes and semi-nudes, a large variety of scarification and body piercing images along with village scenes, dance rituals, native warriors and the like.
While all of the above should pique the interest of both novice and advanced collectors, one should be aware that it is simply the "tip of the iceberg", so to speak. There is hardly a postcard or ephemera category that is not represented including tintype photographs, cabinet photos, stereo views, holidays (including Christmas and black Santa, New Years, Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day), golliwogs, kewpies, Krampus, KKK, minstrels, greeting cards, sheet music, die cuts, fans, ink blotters, Victorian trade cards, book matches, playing cards, first day issue envelopes, minstrels, NAACP stamps, magazine ads, fold out postcards, and postal stamps to name a few.
Advantageous for beginning and advanced collectors alike, Jackson’s will be offering an extended preview two weeks in advance of the sale, affording interested parties the opportunity to view the cards up close and in person. The preview started on August 9th and continues up until the sale, August 24th and 25th. A beautiful full-color, illustrated auction catalog can be obtained for $35 USD. These catalogs are invaluable as future reference material and as price guides. For more information, contact Jackson’s at 1 (800) 665-6743.