Scrapbook compiled by Louise Alexander Gunn: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Cloth bound purple and green floral print spiral bound scrapbook containing black-and-white and color photographs along with newspaper clippings and other ephemera dating from the late 1950s to the late 1970s documenting the life of Louise Jackson Gunn in the Philadelphia area. Louise Gunn was an actress, beauty queen, and community activist. The contents of the scrapbook include newspaper clippings and photographs related to Gunn's church groups and activities, including the Zion Drama Workshop; her friendships with other women in the community and from her vaudeville past; and her travels to the Bahamas and Paris, France.

A large portion of the scrapbook is devoted to Gunn’s community work, including scholarship fundraising for Lincoln University, adult education programs, and volunteering at Philadelphia General Hospital. Gunn also documents work with Rev. Leon H. Sullivan and the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), including efforts to provide school children with free breakfast and to fight housing discrimination.

There are several clippings, photographs, and programs related to her son, the actor and playwright Bill Gunn, including a performance with Ethel Waters and collaborations with musician Sam Waymon. There are also clippings related to performances by Alberta Hunter and Josephine Baker.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1950s - 1970s
• Created by: Louise Alexander Gunn, American
• Subject of: Bill Gunn, American, 1934 - 1989
• Subject of: Leon Sullivan, American, 1922 - 2001
• Subject of: Lincoln University, American, founded 1866
• Subject of: Ethel Waters, American, 1896 - 1977
• Subject of: Josephine Baker, American, 1906 - 1975
• Subject of: Sam Waymon, American, born 1944
• Type: scrapbooks
• Medium: newsprint , ink on photographic paper , cardboard , metal and synthetic fiber
• Dimensions: 11 x 9 1/2 x 1 1/4 in. (27.9 x 24.1 x 3.2 cm)
• Place made: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Blues (Music)
• Topic: Christianity
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Education
• Object number: 2012.46.65.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.