Of all the items in his collection of Black Americana, James Avery's prize possession is a little book of poetry called Howdy, Honey, Howdy (figure A). He bought the book for $25 from a vintage-books dealer who "didn't know what he had": a first edition of the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of first African-Americans to gain national recognition as a poet. And an even greater surprise was pressed between the pages of the book: a newspaper clipping of Dunbar's 1906 obituary (figure B). Among Avery's collection are numerous posters and other types of printed materials. Because of the special treatment required to preserve paper and ink, Avery shares a couple of tips he has picked up over the years: - With pencil drawings and especially with any color prints, you have to be careful of the acidic content of the paper. There are a variety of acid-free products on the market today; check a photography- or scrapbooking-supply store for recommendations.
- Ultraviolet rays are a major source of damage to printed matter. Cover your prints with a material that will prevent ultraviolet rays from leaching the color out of them.
Avery and Gail Deculus Johnson, an expert in Black Americana and the owner of the Sable Images memorabilia store, discuss the importance of surrounding oneself with history. "It's about embracing [history]," says Johnson. "Knowing our past shapes our future. And it's so important that our youth know where we've been so they'll know where we're going." Adds Avery, "I think it's important that we know who we are and where we come from ... not just African-Americans, but all of us."
Web Extra: More on Black Americana with James Avery What makes a piece of work art?
They bypass the intellect, and it just reaches in and says, "Whoa!" When I saw Van Gogh['s] Starry Night in Toledo or whatever, or Sunflowers. You know when you see a Monet and the quality of light -- a Rubens. When you see these things, you just say, "Whew!" You also collect art from Africa, right?
People forget that the reason Picasso painted what he painted was because he saw sculptures and the art of Africa. That's what influenced the Abstracts -- Abstract Expressionis[m] was "primitive art," because it moved beyond the clear depiction of what was into how that moved you. Do other famous people collect Black Americana?
You have people -- agents -- who specifically work for Oprah Winfrey or Bill Cosby or other wealthy Black Americans who collect but who can't get out to look at pieces. There are amazing collections around. Would the character Philip Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air collect Black Americana?
Philip Banks would definitely have this. His children would be surrounded by it, you know. Even if they didn't understand it, he would have it. I know he would have it, because I know people like him, and they do. Are Black Americana artifacts difficult to find?
The sad thing is [that] back in the '70s, when things were supposed to be politically correct, a lot of this stuff was destroyed, which -- in a strange sense -- has made it more valuable, because people were ashamed of it. What is the oldest piece in your collection?
The oldest piece that I know of would be [a] playbill from one of the first productions of Uncle Tom's Cabin in London. And the interesting thing is that one of the actors is T. Avery, so I had to get it. How do you know how much an artifact is worth?
You can have an appraiser take a look, and there are books and publications. There is a book about black collectibles that tells you what's the most valuable and what isn't. You can go to antique houses and they can also appraise what you have.
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