Edward Mapp (1929-2021) was an honored writer, scholar, educator, and collector of Black film memorabilia who served as Dean of Faculty at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Vice Chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, and Professor of Speech and Communication at the City University of New York. Over the course of his career, Dr. Mapp amassed a personal collection of over 1,000 Black-cast film posters and other memorabilia, portions of which toured the country through 2005 under the Smithsonian’s Traveling Exhibition Service as “Close Up in Black: African American Film Posters.”

The Edward Mapp Collection is comprised of original publicity materials, videocassettes, and DVDs from Dr. Mapp’s personal collection. The collection includes items such as posters, lobby cards, advertising and publicity materials, and printed programs for Black-cast films ranging from 1918-2004. Among the materials featured are: programs from Paul Robeson performances; an early advertisement for Ebony Film Corporation in 1918; publicity stills of performers such as Sidney Poitier, Whoopi Goldberg, and Denzel Washington; and video and DVD releases of fiction films like Blackenstein (1973) and documentaries like Baadasssss!: The Birth of Black Cinema (2004).

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