Howard Morehead was a photographer, broadcast news cameraman, and impresario. A native of Topeka, Kansas, he moved to Los Angeles after World War II and joined the staff of the Los Angeles Sentinel and did freelance work for a number of magazines. He also founded the Miss Bronze California beauty pageant as a reaction to the systematic discrimination faced by African American women. The collection consists predominantly of photographs of musicians and venues documenting the Los Angeles jazz scene from the mid-1950s through the 1990s. There are also a number of actors and politicians represented. There is a very large amount of glamour photography featuring models and beauty pageant contestants. Some personal and business papers are also present, as well as books, videotapes, and sound recordings from Morehead's personal collection.

Howard Morehead was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1926. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was assigned to Tuskegee Army Airfield, where he began training as a pilot in anticipation of joining the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen. The war ended before he saw combat, and after his discharge from the military he moved to Los Angeles.

10.8 Linear Feet (12 boxes, 4 shoe boxes, 6 flat boxes, 3 oversize flat boxes)

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