Vintage photograph of a young James Earl Jones, c. 1950s. Photo is in black and white and in excellent condition. It is inscribed as 'Photographed by Carl Van Vechten', of Harlem Renaissance fame.

Plus small autographed sheet of paper measuring 5 x 3 1/2." Autograph is in excellent condition.

A Cinema Apart, or the Beverly and Larry Richards Collection, was amassed by Larry Richards over a number of many years. A respected historian and a librarian at the Philadelphia Free Library, and author of the book African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography, Mr. Richards was deeply passionate and knowledgeable about African-American culture and history. In 2008, Mr. Richards tragically and suddenly died quite young, leaving behind his collection of hundreds of motion picture posters featuring African-American stars and addressing African-American issues, as well as rare broadsides, window cards, and ephemera. Additionally, he possessed items relating to African-American and slavery history. His collection has been deemed so culturally important that a section of it is now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. His wife, Dr. Beverly Richards, now oversees the collection, and has lectured on and exhibited the items both nationally and internationally.