Alexander Gumby is a man of wisdom, intellect, knowledge and creativity. He has proudly displayed his scrapbook in the library of Columbia University for 50 years and now Prairie View A&M University is also a proud collector of this one of a kind African American treasure. Alexander Gumby demonstrates creativity as well as strong will. He began the formation of the scrap book at the age of 16. Since then, his book has evolved into a masterpiece and is idolized by anyone who comes in contact with the 30 rolls of film.
Columbia News in an online article calls it “the unwritten history of Negroes.” In under 50 rolls of film, the book shows clippings from newspapers, letters, photos, and autographs from some of the most prestigious African Americans. This includes Fredrick Douglas, William Lloyd Garnison, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver and W.E.B. Dubois.
The collection is full of clippings, pamphlets, photographs, pictures, extracts from periodicals and also contains 350 letters, signatures, manuscripts and documents.There are also 18 devastation slave documents of events that have taken place in African American history.
The periods range from of 1901 until 1934, when he submitted his collection to Columbia University. It also contains personal letters, calling cards, photos and more from Gumby’s life.
“Gumby clipped things that weren’t necessarily from the mainstream, but were unique to the black community,” says Columbia News. “That’s what makes his collection different from others.”
Gumby’s first clippings were of President McKinley’s assassination. He proudly displayed these on the walls in his room. Little by little Gumby’s collection grew and he moved to New York after attending Dover State College in Delaware.
“At once I became a New Yorker in spirit and principle for I found here more freedom of action than I had ever known before,” Gumby said.
With the help of a friend who worked in Wall Street, Gumby opened a studio in Harlem. But Gumby’s studio fell in the stock market crash of 1929. Gumby’s devastation caused him to be hospitalized for four years.
After he was released, Gumby spent time collecting and putting together his scrapbook. Finally, in 1950, he gave his collection to Columbia University. Gumby died in 1961, but he still lives through the pages of his book.
“Anyone who is interested in preserving a history,” says librarian Chris Anglim, “may come and take a look at the film. It is a very good resource of African American history.”
If you are interested in seeing Alexander Gumby’s scrapbook you can locate it in the microfilm filing cabinet in the periodicals/government document room. It will be viewable to the public in the beginning of the Spring semester.