90-YEAR OLD ELIZABETH MEADERS’ COLLECTION OF
20,000 HISTORIC AFRICAN AMERICAN ITEMS
UP FOR AUCTION THROUGH GUERNSEY’S
NEW YORK, NY – Guernsey’s, the New York headquartered auction house, will be conducting an unprecedented auction of more than 20,000 historic African American objects owned by 90-year old Staten Island resident Elizabeth Meaders on March 15, 2022, 2:00 pm. This important collection will be offered as Single Lot.
Ms. Meaders says that she “designed this American history collection as a patriotic healing and teaching instrument to bridge the knowledge gap about African American history caused by the egregious reality that the American school system has failed to include African American history and African American contributions in its teaching curriculums nationwide.”
It was admiration for baseball great and Civil Rights legend Jackie Robinson that started Meaders, then a young New York City school teacher, on her quest to assemble a collection truly reflective of the History and Culture of African Americans from the early and painful days of slavery right up to present times. Sixty years later, many qualified historians, including Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA, view the Collection as being quite possibly the best, most comprehensive assemblage of items relating to the African American experience in existence.
Created to present the many facets of African American life, the Collection is divided into categories, including the Scourge of Slavery, the Struggle for Civil Rights, Blacks in the Military, in Sports, in the Arts and Entertainment, and Legendary Black Leaders. Other categories include Black Women, Religion, Politics, and Education. Rare medals awarded to Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers, the hateful robes of the Ku Klux Klan, baseball legend Satchel Paige’s rocking chair, posters from Harlem’s Apollo Theater and much more are part of the auction.
Historic figures represented in the Elizabeth Meaders Collection include Harriet Tubman, Robert Smalls, Mammy Pleasant, Crispus Attucks, Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Annie Malone, Col. Charles Young, Bill Richmond, Bessie Coleman, Bill Pickett, Father Divine, Dr. Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, Paul Robeson, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker and Barack Obama.
Hoping that her beloved Collection will find a home at a university or become an instant museum, Meaders would consider consulting with its new owner to help navigate through the many artifacts. Guernsey’s, known by many for its representation of the Rosa Parks Archive, is honored to be presenting this important body of material… emphasizing that the history of a people must never be overlooked.
The auction will be held online at liveauctioneers.com and invaluable.com, and conducted with Guernsey’s directly via the telephone at 212-794-2280 or written bids.
For auction registration and additional information please go to, www.guernseys.com.
Link to images from the Elizabeth Meaders Collection – photo credit: Guernsey’s.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wlgt1b6n4u03i6a/AACEGKFft0xgs5KoKmdwn-NQa?dl=0
Quotations from important historians about the Elizabeth Meaders Collection:
"There is no collection either institutional or privately owned that represents the totality of the Black experience in America as comprehensively as the Elizabeth Meaders Collection." - Randy Weinstein, Director, W.E.B. DuBois Center.
“I commend Ms. Meaders for her passion and noble commitment to telling the story of African American history through precious artifacts of that history. It is a story that cannot be told enough, and so I hope her collection finds a home where it can illuminate and inspire generations for many years to come. “- Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University.
“Elizabeth Meaders is the most extraordinary collector of Black memorabilia I've ever encountered… for years her personal archive has been a rich source of knowledge for historians like me. Her collection is a treasure.” - Robin D. G. Kelley, Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA.
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It was admiration for baseball great and Civil Rights legend Jackie Robinson that started Meaders, then a young New York City school teacher, on her quest to assemble a collection truly reflective of the History and Culture of African Americans from the early and painful days of slavery right up to present times. Sixty years later, many qualified historians, including Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA, view the Collection as being quite possibly the best, most comprehensive assemblage of items relating to the African American experience in existence.
Created to present the many facets of African American life, the Collection is divided into categories, including the Scourge of Slavery, the Struggle for Civil Rights, Blacks in the Military, in Sports, in the Arts and Entertainment, and Legendary Black Leaders. Other categories include Black Women, Religion, Politics, and Education. Rare medals awarded to Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers, the hateful robes of the Ku Klux Klan, baseball legend Satchel Paige’s rocking chair, posters from Harlem’s Apollo Theater and much more are part of the auction.
Historic figures represented in the Elizabeth Meaders Collection include Harriet Tubman, Robert Smalls, Mammy Pleasant, Crispus Attucks, Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Annie Malone, Col. Charles Young, Bill Richmond, Bessie Coleman, Bill Pickett, Father Divine, Dr. Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, Paul Robeson, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker and Barack Obama.
Hoping that her beloved Collection will find a home at a university or become an instant museum, Meaders would consider consulting with its new owner to help navigate through the many artifacts. Guernsey’s, known by many for its representation of the Rosa Parks Archive, is honored to be presenting this important body of material… emphasizing that the history of a people must never be overlooked.
The auction will be held online at liveauctioneers.com and invaluable.com, and conducted with Guernsey’s directly via the telephone at 212-794-2280 or written bids.
For auction registration and additional information please go to, www.guernseys.com.
Link to images from the Elizabeth Meaders Collection – photo credit: Guernsey’s.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wlgt1b6n4u03i6a/AACEGKFft0xgs5KoKmdwn-NQa?dl=0
Quotations from important historians about the Elizabeth Meaders Collection:
"There is no collection either institutional or privately owned that represents the totality of the Black experience in America as comprehensively as the Elizabeth Meaders Collection." - Randy Weinstein, Director, W.E.B. DuBois Center.
“I commend Ms. Meaders for her passion and noble commitment to telling the story of African American history through precious artifacts of that history. It is a story that cannot be told enough, and so I hope her collection finds a home where it can illuminate and inspire generations for many years to come. “- Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University.
“Elizabeth Meaders is the most extraordinary collector of Black memorabilia I've ever encountered… for years her personal archive has been a rich source of knowledge for historians like me. Her collection is a treasure.” - Robin D. G. Kelley, Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA.
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To arrange a viewing of the collection and/or to set up interviews with Elizabeth Meaders and/or Guernsey’s President Arlan Ettinger, please contact Carolyn McClair at (212) 721-3341 or [email protected].
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