880 items (1.5 lin. ft., 5 boxes); 26 x 21 cm. and smaller.
Summary
The Mabel Mercer Photograph Collection depicts aspects of her personal life and her professional career as a singer and entertainer, mostly from the late 1930s to the 1980s. The collection consists of individual and group studio portraits, candid shots and snapshots of Mercer; her husband, Kelsey Pharr; her companion from her later years, Harry Beard; some family members and various friends; and figures from the entertainment field. Also depicted are nightclub and concert appearances, television appearances, social gatherings, and some views of her home and numerous pets. Views of Mercer's personal life or professional career prior to the late-1930s are limited; there are no views of her performing at Bricktop's Parisian clubs in the 1930s.
The personal series includes a group portrait of Mercer and her family (ca. 1910s); a group portrait of Mercer, with Clinton Rosemand, John Payne, James B. Lowe, Connie Smith and Noble Sissle, laying a wreath at Abraham Lincoln's memorial in Parliament Square, London (1928); Mercer, her husband, baritone Kelsey Pharr of the Delta Rhythm Boys, his father and others at a social gathering in New York (n.d.); studio portraits of the Delta Rhythm Boys (ca. 1940s); a group of studio portraits of her nephew, Robert Staten (1941); a snapshot of her sister Ena (1947); a series of portraits of her and her companion, Harry Beard (1960); candid views of Mercer out in the country (ca. 1960s-1970s); receiving honorary degrees from the Berklee Collge of Music (1975), the New England Conservatory in Boston (1980) and Union College in Schenectady, New York (1983); and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan (1983).
Other personal images include views and snapshots of the country house and surrounding landscape of Mercer's home in Chatham, New York (1950s-1970s); snapshots from a trip to the United Kingdom (1977); assorted studio, candid, and snapshot views of her pets, mostly cats and dogs, some of which she is posing with; portraits of some unidentified children; and several candid shots and snapshots of Mercer with family and friends at various unidentified social gatherings.
The professional series includes an unidentified studio portrait of Mercer in a tuxedo (ca. 1917) and a studio portrait of her in costume at the time of her appearance in "Chocolate Kiddies" in Vienna, Austria (ca. 1920s); some promotional cards for her appearance at the Le Ruban Bleu in New York (1941); group portraits and views of her appearance at Hamilton College, in upstate New York (1947); views of her singing at the Byline Room, New York City, with piano accompanist Sam Hamilton (1950); stills from her appearance on the television program "Playboy Club" on WBKB-TV, Chicago (1958); in performance at an unidentified Chicago venue, which was photographed by actor Roddy McDowall (1965); a group portrait of Mercer with NAACP Executive Director Roy Wilkins and singer/pianist Bobby Short at a luncheon for Spingarn Medal recipient Sammy Davis, Jr. (1969); performing with Bobby Short during the taping of a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television special (1972); and meeting with pianist/composer Eubie Blake and actress Ruth Warrick at the Stereo Review Awards presentation (1975).
The collection includes a number of studio portraits of Mercer, taken between the 1940s to the early 1960s, which were probably used mostly for publicity purposes. There are also some photographic and photostat reproductions of paintings and drawings of Mercer by artists Rhana and Bachardy (n.d.). A group of images collected by Mercer depict her friend Ada "Bricktop" Smith at her clubs in Paris (1930s and 1950s) and Rome (1950s), where she is shown meeting with and singing for the celebrities and socialites who were her friends and patrons. Mercer is not depicted in any of the club scenes; however, there is a snapshot of she and Bricktop posing outdoors with hiking sticks (n.d.). Also included are views of Mercer with such celebrities as actors James Earl Jones, Tellulah Bankhead and Roscoe Lee Browne, songwriter Cole Porter, and singer Lena Horne, as well as publicity photographs from Horne, actors Mary Martin and Rock Hudson, composer Alec Wilder, and singers Paul Anka and Sammy Davis, Jr., some of which are inscribed.
Some items have photographer's or photography studio's handstamp on verso; some items have photographer's blind stamp on recto; some images have either photographer's signature or name printed on recto; some photostat reproductions of paintings and drawings have name of artist on recto.
Some items have printed captions on either verso or recto; many photographs have handwritten notations on either verso or recto; some photographs bear inscriptions. Some candid shots and snapshots are either matted or mounted on paper; some snapshots are mounted in a photo album; a group of studio portraits are on mounts with damaged edges. Some items are duplicates.
Collection contains work by Carl Van Vechten, Marcus Blechman, Avery Willard, Morgan Smith, Roddy McDowall and James J. Kriegsmann, among others.
Terms of use (note)
Some items are restricted; permission of photographer or copyright holder is required for duplication.
Biography (note)
Mabel Alice Wadham Mercer, singer and entertainer, was born in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, in 1900, into a musical and performing family. She began her musical career at age fourteen touring with family members, singing and dancing in stage musicals and comedies in England. After World War I, she toured the European continent and eventually moved to Paris where she became a popular cabaret act at Bricktop's, an African-American-owned nightclub in Paris, from 1931 to 1938. Coming to the United States in 1938, Mercer appeared at the Le Ruban Bleu in New York City for several weeks, followed by appearances in the Bahamas where, because of the outbreak of World War II, she was unable to re-enter the United States until 1941. Back in New York, she performed at various clubs including Tony's, on West 52nd Street, (1942-1949), the Byline Room (1949-1957), Downstairs at the Upstairs, the St. Regis Room and the Hotel Carlisle.
A resurgence of interest in Mercer's music in the 1970s led to a PBS television special, "An Evening with Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short and Friends," in 1972; appearances at Carnegie Hall and in London (1977); a five-part BBC television series "Miss Mercer in Mayfair" (ca. 1977); a performance at the 1982 Kool Jazz Festival in New York; and her receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House (1983). Among some of the songs she performed or recorded include "The End of a Love Affair," "While We're Young," "Fly Me to the Moon," "Remind Me," "By Myself" and "Little Boy Blue." She died in 1984 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Linking entry (note)
Forms parts of the Mabel Mercer Papers, 1932-1984.