Washington Wobble

From an Ebay auction:

THESE ARE THREE EXCEPTIONALLY EARLY AND RARE SIGNED PHOTOS OF BLACK AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS FROM  WITHIN THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE TIME PERIOD 1929-1933. THESE WERE LOCATED TOGETHER AND ARE BEING SOLD TOGETHER. THEY FEATURE THE FOLLOWING:

8 BY 5 INCH LOVELY PHOTO IMAGE OF FREDI WASHINGTON INSCRIBED: "TO LILLI SHEP..HOPING THE BOND OF OUR FRIENDSHIP WILL NEVER BE BROKEN...WITH LOVE  FREDI  1933."

FREDI WASHINGTON WAS A LIGHT SKINNED BLACK WOMAN WHO PLAYED THE MULATTO WOMAN PASSING FOR WHITE IN THE 1934 MOVIE "IMITATION OF LIFE" RELEASED IN 1934.IN 1933 SHE STARRED WITH PAUL ROBESON IN EMPEROR JONES. PRIOR TO THOSE MOVIES, FREDI WAS A DANCER IN BLACK AND TAN AND SHUFFLE ALONG AND TOURED WITH DUKE ELLINGTON ON WHOM SHE REPORTEDLY HAD A CRUSH. SHE MARRIED ONE OF ELLINGTON'S BAND MEMBERS. AS FOUND IN PHOTOS ON PINTEREST, FREDI WASHINGTON WAS A STUNNING WOMAN AND SHE WAS OFTEN PRESSURED TO PLAY ROLES PASSING AS A WHITE WOMAN IN REAL LIFE WHICH SHE REFUSED TO DO.

DESPITE HER BEAUTY, HER LIGHT SKIN AND GREEN EYES WORKED AGAINST HER FOR FUTURE FILM WORK. THIS PHOTO IS STAMPED ALLEN, N Y AND WAS TAKEN BY HARLEM RENAISSANCE BLACK PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES LATIMER ALLEN. ALLEN WAS KNOWN FOR HIS "HEAVY GAUZE" TECHNIQUE AS SEEN ON THIS PHOTO OF FREDI. HE PHOTOGRAPHED MANY OF THE FAMOUS BLACK AMERICANS OF THE 1920S AND 1930S INCLUDING LANGSTON HUGHES, PAUL ROBESON AND MANY OTHERS.

FREDI WAS VERY ACTIVE AFTER HER FILM WORK ENDED HELPING TO START THE NEGRO ACTOR'S GUILD IN 1937 AND EDITING THE PEOPLE'S VOICE STARTING IN 1942. SHE ALSO WORKED FOR THE NAACP. 

FINDING A SIGNED PHOTO BY FREDI WASHINGTON IS A RARE TREAT AND NO DOUBT WILL BECOME A HIGH SPOT IN ANY COLLECTION.

FOUND WITH THE FREDI PHOTO IS THE DUKE ELLINGTON SIGNED 4.25 BY 6.25 INCH DUKE ELLINGTON. GIVEN THE RELATIONSHIP TO FREDI, I THOUGHT IT PROPER TO SELL THE TWO ITEMS ROGETHER. ALSO FOUND WITH THESE TWO PHOTOS IS A THIRD PHOTO OF A JOSEPHINE BAKER STYLE PRESUMED ENTERTAINER WHO INSCRIBED THE PHOTO: "TO FRANCES, WISHING YOU THE BEST IN LIFE WITH LOTS OF LOVE, I AM ALWAYS YOUR SINCERE FRIEND, RUTH 10/6/29" THIS LAST PHOTO IS QUITE ROUGH AS SHOWN. IT MEASURES 5 BY 7 INCHES.

GOOD LUCK

(You'll need it...)