Call Number:

ACC2256

Repository:

Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center

Extent:

3.75 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1861-2005

Form:

Broadsides, Lithographs, Maps, Photographs, Posters, and Prints (Visual works)

Abstract:

The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection is one of the nation's leading research facilities for the study of the history and culture of people of African descent. The core collection was donated to Temple University in 1983 by Charles L. Blockson, a Pennsylvania bibliophile and collector of Afro-Americana. As a major research facility, it provides materials, expository programs and service for Black Studies research scholars. The collection is used by a wide spectrum of researchers ranging from high school students to well-established scholars. Located in Sullivan Hall on the main campus of Temple University, this collection of over 30,000 items has materials on the global black experience in all formats: books, manuscripts, pamphlets, journals, broadsides, posters, photographs, and rare ephemera.

The Blockson Collection's Prints and Photographs Collection includes prints and Black film posters, as well as photographs and prints of African-American civil rights leaders, religious leaders, artists, entertainers and scholars. Visual materials include: photographs of famous African Americans, soldiers, and sports teams; posters and broadsides related to politics, theater, film, music, and arts;engravings and lithographs depicting portraits, caricatures, historical scenes, and art; framed items used in an exhibition on the Haitian Revolution; advertisements; diplomas and awards; photocopies of newspaper articles and photographs; calendars and calendar pages; and maps. Some items are framed, some are matted, and dates range from the mid-nineteenth century to 2005.