A brief history of the Negro League:

African Americans first began to play baseball in the late 1800s on military teams, college teams, and company teams, eventually finding their way to the established professional baseball teams of white players. However, racism and “Jim Crow” laws would force African Americans from these teams by 1900, with black players left to form their own teams.

In 1920, an organized league structure was formed under the guidance of Andrew “Rube” Foster, a former player, manager, and owner for the Chicago American Giants. In a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City, Mo., Foster and several other Midwestern team owners joined to form the Negro National League. Soon, rival leagues formed in Eastern and Southern states, which brought black baseball to major urban centers and to rural countrysides in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. The Leagues maintained a high level of professional skill and inspired economic development in many black communities.

This particular volume, a discarded copy formerly the property of the Glenwood Landing School Library, is an eighth printing. The book jacket summaries the volume as a "gallery of sixteen biographies of outstanding negro figures in our countries past and present." A pen and ink rendition of each of the famous negro Americans precedes the specific biography.

Four of the hand towels were made by the same individual, and are entirely hand-crosstitched and hand-hemmed on a somewhat heavy-weight, cream-colored, cotton muslin. They measure approximately 36 inches square.

These four towels are as follows: "Monday"- featuring Mammy washing clothes in a wooden barrel, "Tuesday" featuring Mammy hanging clothes to dry on the clothesline, "Wednesday" featuring Mammy mending clothes, and "Thursday" featuring Mammy delivering a hand-picked, flower bouquet to a neighbor. Condition of all four towels is quite good with small, scattered, stain spots here and there- none in the area of the crosstitching.

The fifth towel, "Friday", is made of a slightly lighter weight and whiter-colored, cotton muslin. It measures 28 x 29 inches, and again, it has a tiny stain spot here and there away from the crosstitched area. The hems are machine stitched but the crosstitching is hand-completed. This towel features a humorous scene of Mammy serving/making pancakes while a pitcher of milk or water unknowingly spills behind her!

These delightful towels would look charming folded and displayed on a kitchen wall rack or could even be framed - folded so that only the cross-stitched area is visible in the frame!

Featuring two sweet black figures---one, a standing figure dressed in a red gown with a skull cap completely covering her hair, and the other, a seated figure with crossed legs dressed in blue gown and holding a tiny book. The figures are placed upon and next to a large "woven" basket, the cover of which lifts on a hinge to reveal a white ceramic, removable ink well.

Likely constructed of pot metal, the ink well is devoid of a manufacturer's mark. Remnants of black script writing is evident across the lower front of the basket, suggestive of the words "Souvenir of .....".

This piece is quite rare and has been executed with phenomenal attention to detail---just look at those sweet faces, the weaving of the basket, and the gentle gathers of the gown!

Rarely found in this pristine condition, the head, hands and shoes are constructed of tenite, which was an early hard plastic. This African-American female is 14 inches long and is all-original, even retaining her original strings and wooden "airplane" marionette controls. The latest patent date on the "airplane" label indicates that this puppet was produced in 1938. Her smiling face is wonderful--and her life-like wool hair add to her character!

The Hazelle Company was a puppet-making company located in Kansas City, Missouri. The company began making hand puppets and marionettes in 1932, and it continued operations for the next 43 years. The founder, Hazelle Rollins, passed away in 1984, nine years after the company closed its doors.

A unique opportunity to acquire a superb, vintage, Black Memorabilia Marionette! Please see the companion Hazelle Little Black Girl and Boy Hand Puppets as well as the other 3 African-American themed Marionettes also offered! Photos of the 4 Hazelle Marionette puppets currently offered for purchase are featured here.

The stories are:

The Story of Little Black Sambo, Little Black Sambo and The Baby Elephant, Little Black Sambo and The Tiger Kitten, Little Black Sambo and The Monkey People, Little Black Sambo in the Bear's Den, and Little Black Sambo and The Crocodiles.

Profusely illustrated in color by each of the authors, this marvelous book is 63 pages long and measures a substantial 8.25 inches wide x 10.25 inches long.

The book is in very fine condition with the exception of a child's doodling and writing in red crayon on the beginning pages of the book- spanning from the inside front cover to the very first page of the first story (see photos). Thus, most of the doodling was done on the beginning pages of the book and does not affect the actual stories or their illustrations.

A rare find, this treasury of stories is a must-have for Little Black Sambo collectors!

This unique, Japanese made, 6" tall Black Sailor or Pirate ceramic nodder by UCAGCO is in mint condition--no cracks, chips, paint wear or repaint!!! Any white spots, etc in photos are purely the function of poor photography!

This interesting fellow wears blue and white striped pants, yellow and green shirt, and yellow jacket. His head nods "yes" and his flowered-painted fan can be made to wave in any direction.

Both head & fan have "Pat T.T." impressed on the weighted stem.

Dated on one page "November 28, 1932, at Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada," this school composition book is completely filled with very neatly executed lessons in all subject areas- algebra, geometry, literature, vocabulary, French, English, History, geography and science.