Research Catalog

Charles "Cookie" Cook scrapbooks.

Title
Charles "Cookie" Cook scrapbooks.
Author
Cook, Charles, 1917-1991.
Publication
[193-?]-1990.

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Still imageUse in library Sc Photo Charles "Cookie" Cook ScrapbooksSchomburg Center - Photographs & Prints

Details

Additional Authors
  • Kriegsmann, James J.
  • Denning, Michael
  • Seymour, Maurice
  • Bruno, Bernard
  • Kollar, James
  • Bloom (Chicago, Ill.), photographer.
Found In
p1tc Cook, Charles, 1917-1991 Charles "Cookie" collection, 1920s-1995 (OCoLC)428562922
Description
  • 160 items (.3 cubic ft., 1 box); 26 x 21 cm or smaller.
  • 87 photographic prints : gelatin silver, black and white ;
  • 33 photographic prints : gelatin silver, black and white ;
  • 2 photographic prints : gelatin silver, black and white ;
  • 35 photographic prints : color ;
  • 1 photomechanical print : halftone, black and white ;
  • 1 photographic postcard : gelatin silver, black and white ;
  • 1 photographic negative : gelatin silver, black and white ;
Summary
  • Scrapbooks depict aspects of the career of tap dancer Charles "Cookie" Cook during his later years from the mid-1970s to 1990, and portraits of entertainers who knew or worked with Cook from the 1930s to the 1980s. The collection consists of candid shots and views of Cook dancing solo or with other dancers, attending talks and social gatherings, on a film set, and with friends; group portraits showing Cook with dance partners, friends and touring groups; and individual and group portraits of mostly African American dancers, actors, vaudevillians, musicians and singers, that were probably used for publicity purposes. Depictions of Cook's personal life, early vaudeville career and tap dance instruction are very limited.
  • Cook is depicted in performances during a resurgence in the popularity of tap dancing during the 1970s and 1980s. Included are his reunions with his vaudevillian partner Ernest "Brownie" Brown at the Great Tap Reunion in Boston (1988) and an undated performance sponsored by the Manhattan Cable Channel; his appearances with the reunited tap dance group the Copasetics, that include performances and discussions in New Paltz, New York (1977) and Cologne, Germany (ca. 1980s); and performances with his later day dance partner Jane Goldberg (mid-1970s to 1985). Other dancers shown with Cook include Kevin Ramsey, Brenda Bufalino and Leslie "Bubba" Gaines.
  • Cook collected publicity portraits of many vaudevillians and other notable entertainers that include Duke Ellington, Butter Beans and Susie, the Will Maston Trio (Will Maston, Sammy Davis, Sr., and Sammy Davis, Jr.) Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Pigmeat Markham, Stump and Stumpy, Sidney Bechet, Flip Wilson, Godfrey Cambridge, Richard Pryor, and Bill Cosby.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Portrait photographs – 1930-1989.
  • Group portraits – 1930-1989.
  • Gelatin silver prints – 1930-1989.
Note
  • Title taken from Charles "Cookie" Cook Collection.
  • Some photographs bear photographer's or photography studio's handstamp on verso; some items bear photographer's or photography studio's name on recto; some items bear photographer's address label attached to verso.
  • Some items bear handwritten captions on verso; some items bear printed captions; some items bear inscriptions. Some items are composite photographs; some items are cropped; some items are duplicates.
  • Many items are detached from scrapbooks. Some items show worn edges, creases or folds on recto, or foxing on recto. One item is missing a corner; one item is missing a lower portion of print.
  • Collection contains work by James Kriegsmann, Michael Denning, Maurice Seymour, Bruno of Hollywood, James Kollar and Bloom, among others.
Terms of Use (note)
  • Some items are under copyright; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.
Biography (note)
  • Charles "Cookie" Cook, 1917-1991, was an African American tap dancer and teacher. Born in Chicago, Cook started performing in vaudeville as a child. In 1930, he and Ernest "Brownie" Brown formed the dance and comedy team Cook and Brown that lasted through the 1960s. They were also both original members of The Copasetics, a black social organization formed in 1949 after the death of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson that was influential in the revival of tap dancing in the 1970s-1980s. In his later years, Cook appeared in tap performances, taught tap dancing, and dance partnered with his former student Jane Goldberg. He died in New York City in 1991.
Linking Entry (note)
  • Forms part of the Charles "Cookie" Cook Collection, 1917-1991.
Call Number
Sc Photo Charles "Cookie" Cook Scrapbooks
OCLC
1286628546
Author
Cook, Charles, 1917-1991.
Title
Charles "Cookie" Cook scrapbooks.
Production
[193-?]-1990.
Type of Content
still image
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
sheet
Terms Of Use
Some items are under copyright; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.
Biography
Charles "Cookie" Cook, 1917-1991, was an African American tap dancer and teacher. Born in Chicago, Cook started performing in vaudeville as a child. In 1930, he and Ernest "Brownie" Brown formed the dance and comedy team Cook and Brown that lasted through the 1960s. They were also both original members of The Copasetics, a black social organization formed in 1949 after the death of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson that was influential in the revival of tap dancing in the 1970s-1980s. In his later years, Cook appeared in tap performances, taught tap dancing, and dance partnered with his former student Jane Goldberg. He died in New York City in 1991.
Linking Entry
Forms part of the Charles "Cookie" Cook Collection, 1917-1991.
Local Note
Sc MG 712
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Added Author
Kriegsmann, James J., photographer.
Denning, Michael, photographer.
Seymour, Maurice, photographer.
Bruno, Bernard, photographer.
Kollar, James, photographer.
Bloom (Chicago, Ill.), photographer.
Found In:
p1tc Cook, Charles, 1917-1991 Charles "Cookie" collection, 1920s-1995 (OCoLC)428562922
Research Call Number
Sc Photo Charles "Cookie" Cook Scrapbooks
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