African American Music and Film History, St. Louis Blues Lobby Card Archive Featuring Nat King Cole and Eartha Kitt, 1958

Cab Calloway Nat King Cole Eartha Kitt Pearl Bailey Ella Fitzgerald

Archive

Cole, Nat “King” (subject). St. Louis Blues lobby card archive, 1958, documents the representation of African American musical heritage in mid-twentieth-century American cinema, centered on the life and legacy of W. C. Handy. The material captures prominent Black performers portraying and interpreting blues and jazz traditions within a studio production, providing primary visual evidence of how African American musical history was translated to film. It supports research into Black performance, music history, and the role of Hollywood in shaping narratives around blues culture during the 1950s.
St. Louis Blues. Paramount Pictures Corp., 1958. Archive of 3 original color lobby cards, each measuring 11 x 14 inches. The images feature leading performers including Nat King Cole, Eartha Kitt, and Ella Fitzgerald. One card depicts Kitt in an orange dress, posed in a performance setting emphasizing stage presence and costume. Another shows Cole seated at a piano, visually reinforcing his role as both musician and central figure in the narrative. A third card presents Cole and Fitzgerald singing together, highlighting the film’s emphasis on collaborative musical performance. The film also features additional major figures including Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway, Mahalia Jackson, and Ruby Dee, situating the production within a broader constellation of Black musical and theatrical talent. Each card includes printed titles and cast credits, combining promotional design with performance imagery.
The film emerges from a period when Hollywood intermittently produced works centered on African American cultural figures, often foregrounding music as a primary narrative vehicle. By focusing on W. C. Handy, widely known as the “Father of the Blues,” the production situates blues within a national cultural framework while showcasing leading Black performers of the era. Such visual materials document how mid-century studios marketed African American musical heritage to broader audiences, balancing biography with performance spectacle. Two lobby cards exhibit pinholes at margins from theatrical display; colors remain strong with light wear; overall very good condition. A concise visual record of African American musical performance and representation in 1950s cinema.

Item #19578

Price: $480.00