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Bert Williams,
Photograph, n.d. Bert
Williams (1876-1922), vaudeville comedian, is credited with breaking
the color barrier in both vaudeville and on Broadway. Williams
performed not only in minstrel shows, but with the Ziegfeld Follies
alongside such stars as W.C. Fields and Will Rogers. Booker T.
Washington said, "Bert Williams has done more for the race than
I have. He has smiled his way into people's hearts. I
have been obliged to fight my way."
Scurlock
Studio Collection, 1905-1994
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Anna Held, Celebrity Postcard, n.d.
Anna Held (1872-1918) was a popular
French entertainer before coming to America. Longtime
companion of legendary showman Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. (1869-1932), it
was her idea to create the Ziegfeld Follies. She became
the star of the first Follies in 1907.
Warshaw Collection of Business
Americana: Motion Pictures, 1893-1963
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Thomas H. Ince, Cigarette Card, n.d.
Directors may become celebrities in
their own right. Thomas H. Ince (1882-1924), an actor and
director, is credited with many modern film industry
innovations. A tireless self-promoter, he was presumably
wounded by a gunshot while on a birthday cruise aboard William
Randolph Hearst's yacht. His mysterious death was the subject
of the film, The Cat's Meow (2002).
Warshaw Collection of Business
Americana: Motion Pictures, 1893-1963
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