Collection | Special Collections | Edward Mapp Collection
Biographical Note 
Born in New York City in 1929, Edward C. Mapp has spent his career as an honored educator, writer, and collector of Black film memorabilia. He received his B.A. from the City College of New York in 1953, his M.S. from Columbia University in 1956, and his Ph.D. in Mass Communications from New York University in 1970.
After working for the New York Public Library's Research Libraries Information Division and teaching in the Brooklyn public schools early in his career, Mapp has served as Dean of Faculty at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Vice Chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, and Professor of Speech and Communciation at the City University of New York, from which he retired in 1998.
Mapp's interest and research in Black film has led to the publication of numerous books and articles, including a regular column in Movie/TV Marketing, the Directory of Blacks in the Performing Arts (Scarecrow, 1990), A Separate Cinema: Fifty Years of Black Cast Posters with John Kisch (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1992), and most recently African Americans and the Oscar (Scarecrow, 2003).
Dr. Mapp has also amassed a personal collection of over 1,000 black cast film posters and other memorablia, a portion of which toured the country through 2005 as "Close Up in Black: African American Film Posters," under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. His work in this area earned him induction into the Black Collectors Hall of Fame in 1992.
Dr. Mapp has received numerous honors throughout his career, including being appointed by the Mayor of New York City as Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights in 1987, a position he held for seven years. Mapp also served on the National Conference on Christians and Jews Brooklyn Board from 1972 to 1981, the Advisory Committee of the National Project Center for Film and the Humanities from 1974 to 1975 and the United Nations Association of New York Board of Directors from 1975 to 1978. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of Thirteen (NYC public television station) since 2000, and was elected First Vice Chairman in 2003.
Scope and Content Note
The Mapp Collection, donated by Dr. Edward Mapp of New York City, consists of two series: Film Publicity, 1930-2002 and Films, 1934-2004.
The first series, Film Publicity, 1918-2004, is divided into four subseries. The first subseries, Posters and Lobby Cards, 1930-2002, includes full-sized posters and lobby cards for Black cast films from the 1930s to the early 2000s. The second subseries, Press Sheets and Advertisements, 1918-1960, includes publicity material for films from the early to mid-20th century, the earliest being an advertisement for the Ebony Film Corporation from 1918. The third subseries, Programs and Monographs, 1941-2004, consists of two programs from Paul Robeson performances, a program for an AFI screening of Gone Are the Days!, and a book, Close Up in Black: African-American Film Posters from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The final subseries, Photographs, 1929-1999, consists of publicity stills for films featuring African-American actors and actresses from the second half of the 20th century. Included are photographs of Sidney Poitier, Whoopi Goldberg, and many photographs of Denzel Washington throughout his career, as well as many other actors and actresses. A photograph of a poster for the 1937 film God's Stepchildren is also included.
The second series, Films, 1934-2004, is arranged in two subseries: Videocassettes and DVDs. The Videocassettes, 1934-2000 subseries consists of twelve VHS videocassettes including documentaries like We've Gotta Have It: The Story of African American Film Making (1992) and fiction features, including For Love of Ivy (1968, dir. Daniel Mann) and Blackenstein (1972, dir. William Levey). The DVDs, 1975-2004 subseries includes two DVDs, Bucktown (1975) and Baadasssss!: The Birth of Black Cinema (2004).
Dates of Donation
June 2000 - December 2005
Series: Film publicity, 1930-2002
Subseries: Posters and Lobby Cards, 1930-2002 (see archivist for locations)
Whispering Tales (1930) - poster, 28 ¼" x 41"
Zou Zou/Princess Tam Tam (1934) - poster, 27" x 41"
Bargain with Bullets [aka Gangsters on the Loose] (1937) - lobby card (colorized), 14" x 11"
Gangsters on the Loose (1937) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Gangsters on the Loose (1937) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Gangsters on the Loose (1937) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Prison Train (1938) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Reform School (1939) - poster, 27" x 41"
Dixie Jamboree (1944) - lobby card, 14" x 11", room 181B, box 1 (Mapp)
Pillow to Post (1945) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
House Rent Party (1946) - poster, 27" x 41"
Mantan Runs For Mayor (1946) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
What a Guy (1947) - lobby card, 14" x 11", room 183, box 1 (Mapp)
The Meanest Man in the World (1948) - lobby card, 14" x 11", room 183, box 1 (Mapp)
Lost Boundaries (1949) - poster, 27" x 41"
Breaking Point, The (1950) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Native Son (1951) - poster, 27" x 41"
The Golden Eye (1952) - lobby card, 14" x 11", room 183, box 1 (Mapp)
La Historia de Joe Louis [aka The Joe Louis Story] (1953) - poster (in Spanish), 29" x 43 ½"
Carmen Jones (1954) - poster, 23 ½" x 33"
Anna Lucasta (1955) - poster, 27" x 40"
Island in the Sun (1957) - poster, 27" x 41"
Kuolema kulkee kannella [aka The Decks Ran Red] (1958) - poster (in German?), 15 ½" x 23 ½"
St. Louis Blues (1958) - poster, 26" x 39"
The Beat Generation (1959) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Imitation of Life (1959) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
The Last Angry Man (1959) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) - poster, 27" x 41"
Convicts 4 (1962) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Malaga (1962) - poster, 15 ½" x 23 ½"
Malaga (1962) - half-sheet poster, 28" x 22"
An Affair of the Skin (1963) poster, 27" x 41"
The Balcony (1963) - half-sheet poster, 28" x 22"
Johnny Cool (1963) lobby card, 14" x 11"
Onkel Toms Hütte [aka Uncle Tom's Cabin] (1965) - poster (in German), 23 ¼" x 33"
The Black Tigress [aka Lola Colt] (1967) - poster, 27" x 41"
Dutchman (1967) - poster, 27" x 41"
The Learning Tree (1969) - poster, 27" x 41"
Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) - poster, 27" x 40"
The Great White Hope (1970) - poster, 27" x 40"
The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970) - poster, 27" x 40"
Pelon Kädet [aka Black Jesus] (1971) - poster (Finland), 17 ¼" x 23 ¾"
Black Girl (1972) - poster, 27" x 40"
Black Gunn (1972) - poster, 27" x 41"
Blacula: Le Vampire Noir [aka Blacula] (1972) - poster (in French), 46" x 61 ½"
Buck and the Preacher (1972) - poster, 26 ½" x 40"
El Ocaso de una Estrella [aka Lady Sings the Blues] (1972) - poster (in Spanish), 27 ½" x 41"
Lady Sings the Blues (1972) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
The Limit (1972) - poster, 28" x 43"
Malcolm X (1972) - poster, 27" x 41"
Double Possession (1973) - poster, 27" x 41"
The Harder They Come (1973) - poster, 27" x 41"
Nigger Lover (1973) - poster, 26" x 39 ¾"
Uptown Saturday Night (1974) - poster, 27" x 41"
Countdown at Kusini (1975) - poster, 27" x 40"
Friday Foster (1975) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Lord Shango (1975) poster, 27" x 41"
Thomasine and Bushrod (1975) - poster, 27" x 40"
The Long Night (1976) - poster, 26" x 40"
Sparkle (1976) - poster, 27" x 40"
The Wiz (1978) - poster, 27" x 41", cabinet 3, folder 2
Il Cobra Nero (1980) - poster, 13" x 27 ½" [The release date for Black Cobra is 1987, however, cast listed makes it apparent this poster is for Mean Johnny Barrows (1976); copyright date on poster is 1980; in Italian]
The Cotton Club (1984) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
A Soldier's Story (1984) - poster, 27" x 40"
The Color Purple (1985) - poster, 27" x 40"
Rocky IV (1985) - lobby card, 14" x 11"
Sarraounia (1986) - poster, 15" x 20 ¾"
I'm a Negro I'm an American (1990) - poster (in German), 11 ¼" x 16"
Mo' Better Blues (1990)-lobby card (Denzel Washington sitting, standup base by feet), 14" x 11"
Mo' Better Blues (1990) - lobby card (trio performing), 14" x 11"
Mo' Better Blues (1990) - lobby card (Denzel Washington with Spike Lee, holding money), 14" x 11"
Mo' Better Blues (1990) - lobby card (Denzel Washington sitting, standup base by feet), 14" x 11"
Mo' Better Blues (1990) - lobby card (Denzel Washington practicing trumpet, with woman), 14" x 11"
Mo' Better Blues (1990) - lobby card (Denzel Spike Lee sitting at booth), 14" x 11"
Mo' Better Blues (1990) - lobby card (Denzel Washington performing trumpet onstage with band members Wesley Snipes and Giancarlo Esposito, two others), 14" x 11"
Mo' Better Blues (1990) - lobby card (Denzel Washington with Joie Lee), 14" x 11"
Mo' Better Blues (1990) - lobby card (Closeup of Denzel Washington playing trumpet in sports jersey), 14" x 11"
Dingo (1992) - poster, 27" x 41"
Malcolm X (1992) - lobby card (Denzel Washington before microphones), 14" x 11"
Beloved (1998) - poster, 26" x 40", room 181B
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) - poster, 26 ¾" x 39 ¾"
Ill Gotten Gains (1997) - poster, 27" x 40"
Light It Up (1999) - poster, 27" x 40"
Shaft (2000) - lobby card (Samuel L. Jackson and Toni Collette), 14" x 11"
Shaft (2000) - lobby card (Samuel L. Jackson close-up), 14" x 11"
Shaft (2000) - lobby card (Samuel L. Jackson and Gloria Reuben), 14" x 11"
Shaft (2000) - lobby card (Christian Bale and police officers), 14" x 11"
Shaft (2000) - lobby card (Samuel L. Jackson at bar), 14" x 11"
Shaft (2000) - lobby card (Samuel L. Jackson and Jeffrey Wright), 14" x 11"
Shaft (2000) - lobby card (Samuel L. Jackson pointing gun), 14" x 11"
Shaft (2000) - lobby card (Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Roundtree, and Busta Rhymes), 14" x 11"
Ali (2001) - poster, 26 ¾" x 39 ¾"
Down to Earth (2001) - poster, 27" x 40"
Gang Tapes (2001) - poster, 27" x 40"
Training Day (2001) - poster, 27" x 40"
Two Can Play That Game (2001) - poster, 26 ¾" x 39 ¾"
Brown Sugar (2002) - poster, 26 ¾" x 39 ¾"
Dirty Pretty Things (2002) - poster, 40" x 30"
Subseries: Press sheets and advertisements, 1918-1960 - Box 2
"Ebony Comedies" and "The Judge Brown Stories" film series 2-sided advertisement - Ebony Film Corporation/Boy City Film Corporation - Moving Picture World, 25 May 1918
Regeneration (1923) press sheet; The Flying Ace (1926) press sheets (2); Black Gold (1928) press sheet
The Girl from Chicago (1932) press sheet
Underworld (1937) advertisement
Double Deal (1939) advertisement pamphlet
Gang War (1940) advertisement pamphlet
Son of Ingagi (1940) press sheet
Tulips Shall Grow (1942) promotional photo of George Pal holding puppet
Jasper's Paradise (1944) copy of page from final script - George Pal's Puppetoons
Sepia Cinderella (1947) advertisement sheet/order form Roar of the Crowd (1953) press sheet
Malaga (1960) advertisement pamphlet (in German)
"Book the 4 and Pack 'Em In" advertisement - Norman Film Manufacturing Co. (unspecified year)
"Gems of the Box Office" advertisement - Ted Toddy Pictures (unspecified year)
Subseries: Programs and Monographs, 1941-2004 - Box 2
Program for Paul Robeson performance at Exhibition Garden, October 31, 1941 (with Clara Rockmore)
Program for Paul Robeson performance at Auditorium, November 8, 1941 (autographed)
Book: Close Up in Black: African-American Film Posters from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Introduction by Edward Mapp. Beverly Hills: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 2002.
Program card: 21 April 2004 AFI screening of Gone Are the Days! (dir. Nicolas Webster, 1963)
Subseries: Photographs, 1929-1999 - Box 2
Nina Mae McKinney and William Fountaine in Hallelujah! (1929); 10" x 8", b/w [EMP087-PAPT1929-0004]
Hearts in Dixie (1929); 10" x 8", b/w [EMP088-PAPT1929-0005]
Phillips Holmes, George "Spanky" McFarland, and Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas in General Spanky (1936); 10" x 8", b/w [EMP084-PAPT1936-0009]
Poster for God's Stepchildren (1937) [EMP001-PAPT1937-0001]
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Fredi Washington, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, and Joan Carroll in One Mile From Heaven (1937); 10" x 8", b/w [EMP085-PAPT1937-0002]
Herb Jeffries and Myrtle Anderson (?) in Harlem on the Prairie (1937); 7" x 5", b/w [EMP086-PAPT1937-0003]
Mantan Moreland and Nina Mae McKinney in Gang Smashers (1938); 5 ½" x 5", b/w [EMP079-PAPT1938-0001]
Gang Smashers (1938) [labeled on back as such, although not scene and actors present not confirmed]; 7" x 5", b/w [EMP080-PAPT1938-0002]
Nina Mae McKinney and Monte Hawley in Gang Smashers (1938); 9" x 6 ¾", b/w [EMP081-PAPT1938-0003]
Ethel Waters and Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949) [EMP002-PAPT1949-0004]
Ethel Waters and Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949) [EMP003-PAPT1949-0005]
Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, and Stephen McNelly in No Way Out (1950) [EMP004-PAPT1950-0003]
Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, and Stephen McNelly in No Way Out (1950) [EMP005-PAPT1950-0004]
Dorothy Dandridge, Bill Walker, Thomas Gomez, "Goose" Tatum, and Marcus Haynes in Harlem Globetrotters (1951); 10" x 8", b/w [EMP082-PAPT1951-0001]
Dorothy Dandridge and Bill Walker in Harlem Globetrotters (1951); 10" x 8", b/w [EMP083-PAPT1951-0002]
Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln in Nothing But a Man (1964) [EMP006-PAPT1964-0005]
Douglas Dick and Frank Lovejoy in Home of the Brave (1954) [EMP007-PAPT1954-0002]
Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones (1958) [EMP008-PAPT1958-0005]
Juanita Moore, Lana Turner, Rarin Dicker and Terry Burnham in Imitation of Life (1959) [EMP009-PAPT1959-0002]
Sidney Poitier and nuns in Lilies of the Field (1963) [EMP010-PAPT1963-0002]
Sidney Poitier and Lilia Skala in Lilies of the Field (1963) [EMP011-PAPT1963-0003]
Sammy Davis, Jr. and Louis Armstrong in A Man Called Adam (1966)[EMP012-PAPT1966-0002]
Al Freeman, Jr. and Shirley Knight in Dutchman (1966) [EMP013-PAPT1966-0003]
Beah Richard, Roy Glenn and Katharine Hepburn in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967) [EMP014-PAPT1967-0003]
Jim Brown and Raquel Welch in 100 Rifles (1969) [EMP015-PAPT1969-0005]
Jim Brown in The Grasshopper (1969) [EMP066-PAPT1969-0006]
Lena Horne in Death of a Gunfighter (1969) [EMP078-PAPT1969-0006]
Calvin Lockhart and Janet MacLachlan in Halls of Anger (1970) [EMP016-PAPT1970-0003]
James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander in The Great White Hope (1970) [EMP017-PAPT1970-0004]
James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope (1970) [EMP070-PAPT1970-0009]
Godfrey Cambridge & Raymond St. Jacques in Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) [EMP018-PAPT1970-0005]
Godfrey Cambridge & Raymond St. Jacques in Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) [EMP019-PAPT1970-0006]
Godfrey Cambridge in Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) [EMP020-PAPT1970-0007]
Harry Belafonte and Gloria Welch in The Angel Levine (1970) [EMP021-PAPT1970-0008]
Tina Turner in Soul to Soul (1971) [EMP022-PAPT1971-0004]
Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) [EMP023-PAPT1972-0010]
Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield in Sounder (1972) [EMP024-PAPT1972-0011]
Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones in Claudine (1974) [EMP067-PAPT1974-0021]
Denzel Washington and George Segal in Carbon Copy (1981) [EMP025-PAPT1981-0024]
Louis Gossett, Jr. in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) [EMP026-PAPT1982-0028]
Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Story (1984) [EMP027-PAPT1984-0006]
Oprah Winfrey in The Color Purple (1985) [EMP028-PAPT1985-0054]
Whoopi Goldberg and Margaret Avery in The Color Purple (1985) [EMP029-PAPT1985-0055]
Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple (1985) [EMP030-PAPT1985-0056]
Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple (1985) [EMP031-PAPT1985-0057]
Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg in The Color Purple (1985) [EMP032-PAPT1985-0058]
Denzel Washington, George McKenna and unidentified man in The George McKenna Story (1986) [EMP033-PAPT1986-0044]
Morgan Freeman and Christopher Reeves in Street Smart (1986) [EMP034-PAPT1986-0045]
Dexter Gordon and Gabrielle Haker in Round Midnight (1986) [EMP035-PAPT1986-0046]
Denzel Washington in Cry Freedom (1987) [EMP036-PAPT1987-0131]
Denzel Washington in For Queen and Country (1988) [EMP073-PAPT1988-0080]
Spike Lee and Ossie Davis in Do the Right Thing (1989) [EMP037-PAPT1989-0069]
Denzel Washington and Robert Townsend in The Mighty Quinn (1989) [EMP038-PAPT1989-0070]
Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher and Cary Elwes in Glory (1989) [EMP039-PAPT1989-0071]
Spike Lee (four photographs on one 8 X 10 sheet) in Do the Right Thing (1989) [EMP071-PAPT1989-0072]
Whoopi Goldberg and Demi Moore in Ghost (1990) [EMP040-PAPT1990-0005]
Denzel Washington and Joie Lee in Mo' Better Blues (1990) [EMP041-PAPT1990-0006]
Cuba Gooding, Jr., Larry Fishburne, and Ice Cube in Boyz N The Hood (1991) [EMP042-PAPT1991-0048]
Denzel Washington in Ricochet (1991) [EMP076-PAPT1991-0049]
Denzel Washington and Angela Bassett in Malcolm X (1992) [EMP043-PAPT1992-0057]
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee in Malcolm X (1992) [EMP044-PAPT1992-0058]
Denzel Washington and Delroy Lindo in Malcolm X (1992) [EMP045-PAPT1992-0061]
Denzel Washington & Charles S. Dutton in Mississippi Masala (1992) [EMP046-PAPT1992-0059]
Alfre Woodard and Vondie Curtis-Hall in Passion Fish (1992) [EMP047-PAPT1992-0060]
Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Conrad Nelson, Andy Hockley, Richard Clifford, Ben Elton and Sean Robert Leonard in Much Ado About Nothing (1993) [EMP048-PAPT1993-0007]
Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts in The Pelican Brief (1993) [EMP049-PAPT1993-0008]
Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne in What's Love Got To Do With It? (1993) [EMP050-PAPT1993-0009]
Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne in What's Love Got To Do With It? (1993) [EMP051-PAPT1993-0010]
Samuel L. Jackson, Nicolas Cage, Micheal Lerner and Margaret Colin in Amos and Andrew (1993) [EMP052-PAPT1993-0011]
Ernie Hudson in No Escape (1994) [EMP053-PAPT1994-0036]
Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction (1994) [EMP054-PAPT1994-0037]
Mykelti Williams as "Bubba" in Forrest Gump (1994) [EMP072-PAPT1994-0038]
Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman in Crimson Tide (1995) [EMP055-PAPT1995-0011]
Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Regina King in Jerry Maguire (1996) [EMP056-PAPT1996-0020]
Denzel Washington and Reon Vicellous Shannon in The Hurricane (1999) [EMP057-PAPT1999-0011]
Denzel Washington in The Hurricane (1999) [EMP065-PAPT1999-0012]
Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Taylor and Arnold Schwarzenegger - Golden Globe Winners (Various years, 1990s) [EMP058-PAPT199X-0018]
Pearl Bailey (date unknown) [EMP059-PAPT19ND-0202]
Pearl Bailey (date unknown) [EMP060-PAPT19ND-0203]
Pearl Bailey (date unknown) [EMP061-PAPT19ND-0204]
Al Fann (date unknown) [EMP062-PAPT19ND-0205]
Pam Grier, Gloria Hendry, Vonetta McGee, Teresa Graves and Tamara Dobson: "Super Soul Sisters" (date unknown) [EMP063-PAPT19ND-0201]
Denzel Washington (date unknown) [EMP064-PAPT19ND-0206]
Jim Brown (date unknown) [EMP068-PAPT19ND-0207]
Dotts Johnson (date unknown) [EMP069-PAPT19ND-0208]
Denzel Washington (date unknown) [EMP074-PAPT19ND-0209]
Denzel Washington with Deborah Crable (date unknown) [EMP075-PAPT19ND-0210]
Denzel Washington (date unknown) [EMP077-PAPT19ND-0211]
Copies of Dorothy Dandridge photographs, (dates unknown)
Copies of Lena Horne photographs, (dates unknown)
Subseries: Videocassettes, 1934-2000
Judge Priest (1934, dir. John Ford); EMV001-VHDY1934.1
The Green Pastures (1936, dir. William Keighley & Marc Connelly); EMV002-VHDR1936.2
New Orleans (1947, dir. Arthur Lubin); EMV003-VHDR1947.3
The Joe Louis Story (1953, dir: Robert Gordon); EMV013-VHDR1953.3
For Love of Ivy (1968, dir. Daniel Mann); EMV004-VHCM1968.1
Blackenstein (1972, dir. William Levey); EMV005-VHHR 1972.2
Amazing Grace (1974, dir. Stan Lathan); EMV006-VHCM1974.2
Sitting in Limbo (1986, dir. John N. Smith); EMV007-VHDR1986.1
We've Gotta Have It: The Story of African American Film Making (1992, dir: unknown); EMV008-VHDY1992.9
Spencer Williams: Remembrances of an Early Black Film Pioneer (1995, dir. Walid Khaldi); EMV009-VHDY1995.15
Black Caricature (1996, dir. Deirdre Leake-Butcher); EMV010-VHDY1996.11
Jeni LeGon: Living in a Great Big Way (1999, dir. Grant Greschuk); EMV011-VHDY1999.3
Black Hollywood 2000 (2000, dir. Emma E. Pullen); EMV012-VHDY2000.3
Bucktown (1975, dir. Arthur Marks); EMD001-DVDR1975.1
Baadasssss!: The Birth of Black Cinema (2004, dir. Mario Van Peebles); EMD002-DVDY2004.7
