Finding aid for the Walter L. Gordon, Jr./William C. Beverly, Jr. collection LSC.2270
Finding aid prepared by UCLA Library Special Collections staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Walter L. Gordon, Jr./William C. Beverly, Jr. collection
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.2270
Physical Description:
2.5 Linear Feet
(5 boxes and 3 oversized flat boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1940s
Abstract: Collection of approximately 800 digitized photographs and other items collected by Walter L. Gordon, Jr. and given to William
C. Beverly, Jr., who donated the collection to UCLA. Collection includes photos given to Walter by his former boss, Charlotta
Bass, publisher of the California Eagle, as well as other photos he collected. Photos largely depict African American social
life and family life in 1940s Los Angeles and feature celebrities, athletes, politicians, lawyers, and other notable people
of the era.
Physical Location: Held at UCLA Library Special Collections. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. All requests to access
special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Language of Material:
English
.
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Walter L. Gordon and William C. Beverly.
[Identification of item], Walter L. Gordon, Jr./William C. Beverly, Jr. Collection (Collection 2270). UCLA Library Special
Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
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UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9967766733606533
The approximately 800 photographs in this collection represent the lifelong interest of Los Angeles African American attorney,
Walter L. Gordon, in documenting little known aspects of African American history and culture through the first half the 20th
century. Los Angeles and the legal profession were plagued by racial discrimination, but these photographs display a range
of people, places and institutions who successfully defied society's limited expectations.
In 2002, the entire collection was given to William C. Beverly, Jr., who loaned them to Eighth & Wall (an organization promoting
the preservation of the history of the African American community of Los Angeles). In 2010, the collection was donated to
UCLA. More information about Eighth & Wall is available here:
http://www.eighthandwall.org
Materials include photographs given to Mr. Gordon by California Eagle newspaper publisher Charlotta Bass; photos Mr. Gordon
collected of images of black resorts such as Val Verde; well-known political figures; sophisticated night life and social
club functions; performing artists such as Count Basie, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. Mr. Gordon established his law
practice in 1936; he retired in 2004, after nearly seventy years practicing law.