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Harold Washington Archives and Collections. Mayoral Records. Press Office Photographs

 Collection
Identifier: spe-h00066

Scope and Contents

The photographs, contact sheets and negatives in this collection were mostly taken by Press Office photographers, Michelle V. Agins, Antonio B. Dickey and Peter J. Schulz, between 1983 and 1987. The images document many of Harold Washington’s engagements and provide a glimpse into his often busy, daily schedule. The types of events he attended varied from day to day, but many were out in the neighborhoods, including community meetings, ground breakings, fundraisers, festivals and charitable events and show how Chicago’s neighborhoods looked in the mid-1980s. Other photographs were taken inside City Hall and document Washington’s administration, appointments and meetings with visiting businessmen, dignitaries and everyday Chicagoans. Some photographs show celebrities and other politicians. Portraits of Harold Washington can be found in box 81.

All of the photographs are in black and white and the collection includes contact sheets, 35mm negatives and some 8” x 10” prints. The photographers often shot several events in the same day, resulting in single contact sheets that document more than one event. When the rolls of film were developed, the photographers frequently identified the events using their own shorthand, dated the contact sheets and signed their initials. Sometimes, especially in the early years of Washington’s tenure, this shorthand on contact sheets is the only identifying information that remains for depicted events. Other times, however, especially in the later years of Washington’s tenure, additional information appears in the files with the photographs, such as schedules, briefing notes and speeches for the events depicted. Archivists have assigned folder titles based on the information present: brief identification by the photographers, or detailed information from accompanying briefing notes.

Slight errors with the dates might exist because some photographers marked their contact sheets with the date the film was processed rather than the date of the actual event. Researchers should look widely around a specific date. Often people other than Harold Washington have been identified and highlighted, but this has not been done comprehensively. Identifiable people appear in photographs throughout the collection, and a name not appearing in the folder heading does not imply the person is not pictured. Please consult the images broadly.

For photographic documentation of various events remembering Harold Washington, please see the Eugene Sawyer Mayoral Records.

Dates

  • Creation: 1983 - 1987

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection.

Historical Note

The Press Office was part of the Office of the Mayor, and as such, Press Office staff worked very closely with the Mayor at all times. The Press Office was responsible for the mayor’s scheduling and for ensuring he was prepared for each event by producing briefing notes with detailed background information. Press Office photographers accompanied the mayor to most of these events and documented them with black and white photographs, contact sheets and negatives. The majority of the photographs in this series were taken by Press Office staff photographers Michelle V. Agins, Antonio B. Dickey and Peter J. Schulz.

The Press Office also prepared press releases, drafted speeches and clipped news articles on many topics. These records are found in the Mayoral Records, Press Office Records. In addition, the Press Office video-recorded the daily television news broadcasts from the major Chicago broadcast stations. The video recordings are available in the Mayoral Records, Press Office Videocassette Collection.

Biographical Note

Harold Washington was the first African American mayor of Chicago, elected in 1983.

Harold Washington was born on April 15, 1922, at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. His parents, Roy Lee and Bertha Jones Washington, divorced when he was young, and he lived with his father in Chicago and attended boarding school in Milwaukee. Washington entered Chicago’s DuSable High School in 1939, served in the Civilian Conservation Corps for six months, enlisted in the military from 1943 to 1946, and returned to DuSable High School to graduate in 1946. After earning a bachelor degree at Roosevelt University in Chicago and a law degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Washington enjoyed a career as a practicing attorney before he turned to politics.

Washington’s political career encompassed roles at the municipal, state and national levels of government. He served as Illinois State Representative for the 26th District from 1965 to 1976. He then became Illinois State Senator for the 26th District from 1976 to 1980. Washington ran for mayor of Chicago in 1977, but lost. In 1980, he became a U.S. Congressman for the 1st District and served in that post until 1983. Washington again ran for mayor in 1983, winning the Democratic primary election in February of that year and the general election in April. He was inaugurated on April 29, 1983 and was re-elected in 1987. Harold Washington died at 1:36 p.m. on November 25, 1987 of a cardiac arrest, just a few months into his second term as mayor. He is buried in Chicago’s Oak Woods Cemetery.

Extent

41.5 Linear Feet (in 83 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Harold Washington was the first African American mayor of Chicago, elected in 1983. The Press Office was part of the Office of the Mayor, and was responsible for the mayor’s scheduling and for ensuring he was prepared for each event by producing briefing notes with detailed background information. The photographs, contact sheets and negatives in this collection were mostly taken by Press Office photographers, Michelle V. Agins, Antonio B. Dickey and Peter J. Schulz, between 1983 and 1987. The images document many of Harold Washington’s engagements and provide a glimpse into his often busy, daily schedule. The types of events he attended varied from day to day, but many were out in the neighborhoods, while others took place inside City Hall.

Arrangement

The collection has been divided into three series:

Series 1: Chronological Photographic Images, 1983-1987

Series 2: Undated Photographic Images, circa 1983-1987

Series 3: Undated, Unidentified Photographic Images, circa 1983-1987

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The records were acquired by the Chicago Public Library after Harold Washington’s death.

Related Materials

Harold Washington, Illinois State Representative Records

Harold Washington, Illinois State Senate Records

Harold Washington, U.S. Congressional Records

Harold Washington, Mayoral Campaign Records

Harold Washington, Pre-Mayoral Photograph Collection

Harold Washington, Asian American Advisory Committee Records

Harold Washington, Central Files Records

Harold Washington, Chief of Staff Records

Harold Washington, City Council Proceedings Records

Harold Washington, Development Sub-Cabinet Records

Harold Washington, Finance and Administration Sub-Cabinet Records

Harold Washington, Infrastructure Sub-Cabinet Records

Harold Washington, Intergovernmental Affairs Records

Harold Washington, Office Manager/Supervisor of Clerical Staff Records

Harold Washington, Press Office Records

Harold Washington, Public Safety/Regulatory Sub-Cabinet Records

Harold Washington, Real Estate Committee Records

Harold Washington, Schedules and Evaluations Records

Harold Washington, Videotapes

Harold Washington, Commemorative Year Archives

Harold Washington, Political Education Project Records

Eugene Sawyer Mayoral Records

Steve Askin Papers

Source

Subject

Title
Guide to the Harold Washington Archives and Collections. Mayoral Records. Press Office Photographs
Status
Completed
Author
Roslyn Mabry, Johanna Russ, Morag Walsh, Sarah Zimmerman, 2018. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Michelle McCoy, 2022
Date
2018
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Unit at Harold Washington Library Center Repository

Contact:
Harold Washington Library Center, 9th Floor
Chicago Public Library
400 S. State Street
Chicago IL 60605 United States
(312) 747-4875