Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s

The Digital Library of Georgia has added The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s, a new collection of materials from the Douglass Theater in Macon. The Douglass was one of the premier African-American venues in Macon and Georgia during the 1910s through 1930s.

The online collection consists of selected correspondence,financial records, contracts, and advertising materials fromthe Douglass Theatre's records in the Middle Georgia Archives' Charles Henry Douglass, Jr. business records, and it documents the amusements available to Macon's AfricanAmerican population and the business dealings of this African American entrepreneur from 1912 to the 1930s. The bulk of these selected records feature the period between1920 and 1929, and describe the sporting events, vaudeville, and films brought to the theater, as well as the efforts to ensure its financial success.

This exciting new collection sheds light on an important aspect of African-American life and culture in our state.