Roark Bradford papers
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of correpondence, clippings, photographs, drawings, typescripts, manuscripts, and publications of writer and journalist Roark Bradford (1896-1948). Bradford worked the night shift at the Times-Picayune and contributed numerous short stories to magazines, including Collier's, the New York Herald Tribune, Esquire, and the Saturday Evening Post.
Dates
- 1887-1949
Creator
- Bradford, Roark, 1896-1948. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to the public. No known restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Physical rights are retained by the Louisiana Research Collection. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.
Biographical / Historical
Roark Bradford was born in 1896 in Tennessee. He moved to New Orleans in 1923, and worked as an editor at the Times-Picayune newspaper from 1924 to 1926. He was a prolific writer of short stories, and widely published in magazines. Many of the stories he wrote used an exaggerated African-American dialect popular at the time; some of his works were dramatized for stage and film, including "Ol' Man Adam and His Chillun'", which became the basis for the 1936 film, The Green Pastures. He served as a consultant to Tulane University's English Department, 1947-1948. Roark Bradford died in New Orleans on November 13, 1948.
Extent
2.5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement Note
Box 1 includes personal papers; boxes 2 through 5 contain Bradford’s manuscripts of short stories and articles, and other papers. Several of the manuscripts include marginalia and extensive editing marks. The collection consists of 5 boxes.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mary Rose Bradford. Date acquired: 12/06/1948.
Accruals and Additions
No further accruals expected.
- African Americans -- Southern States -- History -- 20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- African Americans in literature and art Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- American literature -- 20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Authors, American -- 20th century Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
- Clippings (information artifacts) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Journalists -- Louisiana -- New Orleans Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Manuscripts for publication Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- New Orleans (La) -- History -- 20th century Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs Subject Source: Local sources
- Typescripts Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Title
- Roark Bradford papers
- Author
- Eira Tansey
- Date
- 08/02/2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Tulane University Special Collections Repository
