Photograph of the 368th Infantry Band, including bandleader A. Jack Thomas of Baltimore, 1918 May 1
Scope and Contents
Derived from dealer description: Large gelatin silver cabinet photograph. Image size 8.5" x 6.5" on 12" x 9.75" thick card mount. Titled in ink in lower margin. Of particular interest on the verso each player in the band is named with an indication of what instrument he played. The 368th was part of the all-black 92nd Infantry Division, the "Buffalo Soldiers" who were committed piecemeal into the trenches under French command after both the American and British Armies refused to serve in combat with African-American soldiers. They later fought as part of the A.E.F. during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The bandleader A. Jack Thomas was a Baltimore-area conductor, one of the first African-American bandleaders in the Army, and the first African-American to conduct the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Dates
- Creation: 1918 May 1
Creator
- From the Collection: Frederick Douglass High School (Baltimore, Md.) (Organization)
- From the Collection: Johns Hopkins University (Collector, Organization)
- From the Collection: United States. Army. Colored Infantry Regiment, 19th (1863-1867) (Organization)
- From the Collection: Pennsylvania. National Guard (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for more information.
Biographical / Historical
There is no available information on the creator.
A. Jack Thomas
A. Jack Thomas served in the U.S. Army from 1903 to 1919 as one of the first African American Army bandmasters. After discharge from the Army, Thomas settled in Baltimore where he established the Aeolian Conservatory in 1919, and directed the music department at Morgan College in 1924. Thomas later became the first African American to conduct the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 1946.
Source:
https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/35025
http://www.bsomusic.org/stories/timeline-black-classical-music-history-in-baltimore.aspx
Extent
From the Collection: 0.47 Cubic Feet (1 legal full-sized box and 1 flat box)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Between the Covers in April 2017.
Accruals
Accession 2017-18.MS.021.
Processing Information
Processed by Bex Dansereau in October 2017.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA
specialcollections@lists.jhu.edu