Need Help - Anyone with Academic Credentials to Access Newspaper Archive?

[Dan Gould]

I found a photo on Newspapers.com from the Pittsburgh Courier, that I'd like to use for my Percy France memorial website but the photo is a pretty dark blob mostly and I am hoping other archives might have a better scan. Problem is that searches for Pittsburgh Courier archive shows that the searchable database seems restricted to students/staff/faculty of the many universities offering access.

Does anyone have the necessary credentials to help me out?

As usual, thanks in advance!

[Dub Modal]

I can try, although my uni's access appears date-restricted for this pub. What year/date is the photo? 

[Dan Gould]

3 minutes ago, Dub Modal said:

I can try, although my uni's access appears date-restricted for this pub. What year/date is the photo? 

The date was October 10 1953 and should be findable on a search for "bill doggett" or "percy france" or "Mildred Anderson". I'd love to get a snip of photo and caption.

Thanks!

[Dub Modal]

I'm not having any luck, sorry. I broadened the search to my state's library system and then worldwide, but I only get date ranges from 1911-1950 for the Courier or dates starting in  1955 with the New Pittsburgh Courier. Ugh. 

[Dan Gould]

6 minutes ago, Dub Modal said:

I'm not having any luck, sorry. I broadened the search to my state's library system and then worldwide, but I only get date ranges from 1911-1950 for the Courier or dates starting in  1955 with the New Pittsburgh Courier. Ugh. 

Oh that sucks. Maybe you know someone else in the academic field with other modes of access? So strange that it would stop and resume like that. Thanks for your efforts.

[Dub Modal]

Yeah, I'm going to ask if there's additional means of access. No guarantee but I'll still shake the tree. 

[Dan Gould]

Thanks, I've also sent a message to GoM who I think should have access to the archive thru Indiana University. So he may have the easiest time of all.

[Jason Bivins]

Our library has the same dates as Dub Modal's, alas. I wonder if that reflects a gap in what the PC has made available. Perhaps there was even a fire or something similar at some point? Sorry, Dan.

[Dan Gould]

Thanks Jason.

This link

https://libraries.indiana.edu/pittsburgh-courier-proquest-historical-newspapers

has this description:

This database provides full page and article images with searchable full text from the Courier (1950-1954 : City ed.), New Pittsburgh courier (1969-1981 : City ed.), New Pittsburgh courier (1981-2002), Pittsburgh courier (1911-1950 : City ed.), and Pittsburgh courier (1955-1965 : City ed.). The collection includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue in PDF format. (OCLC)

*******************************************

So what is the difference between "the Courier (1950-1954: City ed.) and Pittsburgh Courier, which does have that gap? Can anyone try the Courier 1950-54?

[JSngry]

Oh, you're looking into African-American newspapers now? God's work continues to call.

[ghost of miles]

Hey Dan, I located the scan that IU has, but it's worse than what you currently have--sent you a PDF of the page anyway.  Happy to help any time with searches that require academic portals.  

[Dan Gould]

10 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Oh, you're looking into African-American newspapers now? God's work continues to call.

I'm looking into African-American newspapers under the time constraint of work and a free 7 day trial at newspapers.com.

But they are fruitful ... This was in the New York Age, in its final year of publication after a run that started in 1887 or so.

9 minutes ago, ghost of miles said:

Hey Dan, I located the scan that IU has, but it's worse than what you currently have--sent you a PDF of the page anyway.  Happy to help any time with searches that require academic portals.  

Thank you GoM, it seems like the academic archive is a single one that universities subscribe to so I think this is the end of the search unless it somehow shows up elsewhere like Google newspapers.

[JSngry]

Ok, who was Steve Pulliam?

Like we've said before, you can't unsee or unlearn this stuff...

Anything in the Chicago Defender?

[Dan Gould]

26 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Ok, who was Steve Pulliam?

Like we've said before, you can't unsee or unlearn this stuff...

Anything in the Chicago Defender?

There was a trombonist by that name, and captured on Jaws in Orbit close to the same time.

Chicago Defender seems to be on the same service as the Courier ... and I am not seeing how I can get access myself and can hardly ask GoM to spend a day going thru one massive search for "Percy France" (did I ever mention there is a Percy, France, which had some significance during WWII, and subsequently, when soldiers injured there have died and their obits mention the location?)

Back to the subject of this thread because I have excellent news. Tried a filter option on my photo editing software and Percy's face came right out of the darkness. Way way better than I had, so I am quite pleased. Edit to say that manual adjustment of contrast and other things created an even better result than a simple filter option. 

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by Dan Gould

[JSngry]

Not to sidetrack the thread, but how much documentation is there on Clark Monroe?

[Dan Gould]

Looks impossible to figure that out - there's a Clark Monroe born in 1980 who is a film maker and other things, he's all over google. 

[Niko]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Monroe%27s_Uptown_House

[JSngry]

Thanks. I was hoping for something more meaty, though. That guy was a fixture at running clubs during some really important years.

[Dan Gould]

Didn't think hard enough about the name ... so was he just host for Count Basie, or did he run the club for him?  When did his other clubs close?

Probably a question Phil Schaap could answer.

[JSngry]

Minton's, Monroe's Uptown House, Basie's (pretty sure he was the manager of the place, iirc), a guy with a proven track record for doing that type of thing.

Lockjaw would have undoubtedly known him well, but...

Who else is left from the days of that circuit? I would hate to depend on Schaap as a single source, just because...who else is still alive and worked Harlem clubs regularly?

Kinda gives me a shudder that I can't think of anybody offhand...

[bertrand]

There is an incredible resource called RIPMjazz which has digital holdings of many jazz periodicals. Alas, it is only available to those with an academic affiliation to a university that subscribed to it.

My understanding is that once the DC Jazz Archives are reopened, I can access it in person.

Sounds like a great retirement project, if I can ever retire.

Edited April 12, 2021 by bertrand

[EKE BBB]

Dan, I have full access both to www.newspapers.com and www.newspaperarchive.com. Most well-known Afro-American papers are included. 

I've devoted thousands of hours to perusing through these online archives, launching any type of imaginable search. So let me know if I can help.

Please find attached an appetizer. Image quality of the scans is not the best for most of these archives. It is ok for text, but most often images are unusable.

[Dan Gould]

4 hours ago, EKE BBB said:

Dan, I have full access both to www.newspapers.com and www.newspaperarchive.com. Most well-known Afro-American papers are included. 

I've devoted thousands of hours to perusing through these online archives, launching any type of imaginable search. So let me know if I can help.

Please find attached an appetizer. Image quality of the scans is not the best for most of these archives. It is ok for text, but most often images are unusable.

Thanks Agustín looks like you found something I have not, I guess that was not in newspapers.com as I've searched that a couple of times.  That is a King promo photo that appears in the Chronological Classics Bill Doggett 1952-53 so I have a nice scan of it already, I just wish the entire caption was legible. Was that from the Newspaperarchive.com site? What paper?

"... spotlighted on Ralph Cooper's "Here's to Harlem" TV ..."?? Of course the likelihood that anything exists now is practically zilch given the time period, that is still amazing to see that there might have once existed performance video.

I'll send you a PM about other searches.

[EKE BBB]

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

Thanks Agustín looks like you found something I have not, I guess that was not in newspapers.com as I've searched that a couple of times.  That is a King promo photo that appears in the Chronological Classics Bill Doggett 1952-53 so I have a nice scan of it already, I just wish the entire caption was legible. Was that from the Newspaperarchive.com site? What paper?

Yes, source is www.newspaperarchive.com.

MeridianEcho_1953.03.01_page 4 (I put this as the attached file's name).

[Dan Gould]

7 hours ago, EKE BBB said:

Please find attached an appetizer. Image quality of the scans is not the best for most of these archives. It is ok for text, but most often images are unusable.

I had a brainstorm, I have the Chronological Classics photo, and now I'd like to see if my guy can set it up so that the scan loads, and then on a short delay, the original photo overlays on top. Would be cool, methinks.

Edited April 13, 2021 by Dan Gould