The Ransom Center gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, which provided funds to support the processing and cataloging of this collection.
Singer and actress Ethel Waters was born on October 31, 1896, in Chester, Pennsylvania, and in her autobiography,
Waters made her professional debut at seventeen after being coaxed into singing at a Philadelphia nightclub and went on to tour the Black vaudeville circuit before crossing over to the white Keith Vaudeville Circuit by the mid-1920s. Her recording career, which began in 1921 with Cardinal Records and Black Swan Records, established her as one of the most commercially successful and stylistically influential vocalists of the era. From 1925 she recorded for Columbia Records, producing landmark versions of "Dinah," "Sweet Georgia Brown," and "I'm Coming Virginia" with accompanists including Coleman Hawkins, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Tommy Dorsey. She produced more than 250 recordings over her career. Her vocal style was widely recognized as a formative influence on modern American popular singing. Waters's most celebrated recording, "Stormy Weather" (Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler, 1933), was written for her Cotton Club debut on April 16, 1933, where she reportedly had to repeat it twelve times on opening night. Her 1933 Brunswick recording is considered the definitive early version of the song, which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2004.
Waters achieved a series of landmark theatrical firsts. In Irving Berlin and Moss Hart's
She made her film debut in
On June 14, 1939, Waters starred in
Waters married at least three times and had no children. In the early phases of her career, she identified as bisexual, maintaining close relationships with women, including dancer Ethel Williams, with whom she shared a Harlem apartment in the mid-1920s as part of the queer blues community surrounding figures such as Bessie Smith and Gladys Bentley.
Waters published two memoirs:
Ethel Waters lived the last several years of her life in the Los Angeles home of Joan Croomes, a close friend who had known Waters since their early days performing together in the 1943 film version of
Barnes, Michael. "UT Ransom Center New Home for Archives of Singer Ethel Waters, Pioneering Black Star."
Bogle, Donald.
Bourne, Stephen.
Pleasants, Henry.
Waters, Ethel, and Charles Samuels.
Waters, Ethel, with Eugenia Price and Joyce Blackburn.
The papers of Black American singer and actress Ethel Waters consist of correspondence, box office statements, photographs, financial and personal records, contracts, scripts, publicity material, and drafts of Waters's autobiography. The papers are arranged into five series: I. Production Materials, circa 1920s-1960, undated; II. Correspondence, 1930-1964, undated; III. Financial Records, 1929-1962, undated; IV. Photographs, circa 1896-1966, undated; V. Personal and Professional Papers, 1933-1972, undated.
Due to Waters's lifestyle as a performer who often toured and had homes on each coast, and because of her living arrangements in her final years, Waters's extant papers were stored in various locations and with various people throughout her life and after her death. For the same reasons, including the fact that Waters often allowed friends and family to live in her homes while she was on tour, the surviving papers have large gaps and are far from complete. Rather, the existing documents offer small glimpses into Waters's life and career; and even the years represented are incomplete. The bulk of the material dates from the mid- to late-1930s to the mid-1950s, and aside from some family snapshots and photo albums, there is nothing related to Waters's childhood and very little of her early adult years as an entertainer on the Vaudeville circuit. Similarly, there is little material from the 1960s to Waters's death in 1977.
For the reasons discussed, it is difficult, if not impossible, to know the circumstances surrounding why certain materials are present, the significance of that material, and even possibly who owned and kept some of the documents, as well as understanding the filing system and any existing arrangement. During processing the archivist discovered that some items appear to have belonged to various family members or friends, such as Donna Wilson and Joan Croomes, who had Waters's papers at different points; thus, papers became intermingled. Likewise, Waters employed friends to take care of her business correspondence and personal affairs when she was on tour or living elsewhere, and it is evident that some of the original file folders were created and maintained by some of these people. Indeed, the last collection custodian prepared loose materials for shipping to the Center into broad categories and within large, labeled mailing envelopes. For the most part, the collection arrived at the Ransom Center without an arrangement. When original folders provided a meaningful label, that wording was used in the container list and is indicated in single quotation marks.
Additionally, the collection has many expected preservation concerns based on the age and storage of the material for decades in less-than-ideal environments. Issues include water damage that has resulted in mold to large segments of material; dirty, tattered, and brittle paper; documents that are folded, torn, or fragile; and some pest damage (not active infestation). A considerable portion of the material in the collection was cleaned to remove mold spores after it arrived at the Ransom Center. The container list indicates which folders contain materials that were cleaned due to mold contamination. In rare circumstances, when material was too damaged by mold to be used safely, it was copied and the original deaccessioned. Some of the materials were previously stored long-term in a trunk that was also cleaned due to mold contamination, and
Duplicates, material with no research value (i.e., blank paper and envelopes, unused routine return envelopes for paying bills or making donations, straight pins and clothing buttons, items that postdated Waters's life or belonged to third parties) were deaccessioned. A list and selected photographs taken during processing documenting such material are available upon request. Several examples of the return envelopes were retained. Waters (or her assistants) also kept postmarked envelopes for reuse, and these are arranged within the Correspondence series.
Ethel Waters was in 12 Broadway productions beginning with
Materials arranged in this series relate to performances by Waters onstage, onscreen, or on radio or television; or to potential projects and/or unsolicited submissions. Included are a small number of scripts, handwritten line practice (Waters often wrote out her lines, with cues and extensive underlining, in notebooks or on loose paper), programs and playbills, sheet music, song lists, scrapbooks, publicity materials, tour itineraries, two posters, and a list of props. Of significance is one of the three known surviving scripts for
Productions with the most related material are the stage shows
In 1957, Waters performed at an international symposium for the opening of Congress Hall [Kongresshalle] Berlin, appearing in the titular role of the world premiere of Thornton Wilder's
The Correspondence series is one of the largest segments and includes letters from friends, family, professional acquaintances, and fans, as well as letters related to performances, recording projects, and theatre and film opportunities. For the most part, the order received at the Ransom Center reflects later custodians' attempts at organizing the letters and was based on Waters's addresses, both permanent, temporary, and while on tour, with many addressed to theatres. In a few cases, letters were in original folders with titles, such as 'fans' or 'telegrams', and that filing arrangement was maintained. Some envelopes contained multiple letters or other enclosures suggesting that these were collected and forwarded in small batches to Waters while she was touring; these groupings were maintained and noted as "assorted letters". The bulk of the correspondence, however, was arranged by the archivists and is ordered by year and then alphabetically by topic. Except for fan mail and telegrams, letters are in alphabetical order within folders. Selected correspondents are listed in the Index of Correspondents at the end of the finding aid.
There are gaps in the correspondence, likely due to Waters's regular travels and many homes throughout her life. Notably absent in the collection is any correspondence from Ethel Williams, the dancer with whom Waters had a relationship in the 1920s The years covering 1939 through 1942 are the most voluminous and though certainly incomplete, they give a good sense of the type of correspondence Waters routinely received at the height of her career. Fan letters make up the bulk in the well-documented years, with many brief and long letters simply requesting autographs or photos. Aspiring music composers and lyricists often sent Waters lyrics or music for her to consider for her own repertoire. Additionally, as a financially successful performer, Waters received numerous appeals for individual charity (e.g., a struggling person requesting money for bills) or philanthropic involvement from hospitals, non-profits, and other organizations seeking to appeal to Waters's religiosity, own background of poverty, or racial consciousness. For the years before 1939 and after 1960, the extant correspondence may be only one or two letters, and at the most, only a handful of letters per year.
The content of letters reflects Waters's identity as a successful performer and a majority are from fans from all walks of life, from actors like Douglas Fairbanks and writers like Zora Neale Hurston to the man on the street who can only find a paper bag to write on. Many of these letters speak glowingly of Waters as a performer and as serving a "higher purpose" in her choice of career and the way she lived her life. When the race of the writer is mentioned or alluded to, it's clear that Waters crossed the race line and white as well as Black people enjoyed her performances and success. Because Waters was openly and proudly Christian, and specifically Catholic, many letters address Waters with reverence and as a shared spiritual bond between Waters and the letter writer. This type of correspondence becomes more prevalent around 1957 through the early 1960s, when Waters appeared with Billy Graham's New York Crusade. Such letters often quote scripture or contain religious material, as well as prayer cards, pamphlets, and other relics. Of significant volume in the series is correspondence from Mother Clement Mary of the Carmelite Monastery in Pennsylvania, which spans three decades and often offers both spiritual and maternal guidance to a woman who frequently took on the maternal role in many of her relationships. Letters from Clement Mary are long and often included tokens, prayer cards, religious relics, handmade greeting cards, and/or photos of the nuns and monastery. Most of these inserts have been separated from their original letters over time and are now arranged in Series V. Personal and Professional Papers. Many relics were deaccessioned due to mold contamination and photographs taken during processing are available upon request.
Waters encountered many artists, performers, writers, dancers, and other creatives throughout her life, but for the most part, there are only one or two letters, telegrams, or cards from such individuals. Better represented are letters from the photographer and writer Carl Van Vechten (who often signed his letters "Carlo") and artist Luigi Lucioni (who painted an award-winning portrait of Waters). Many Black artists and performers, such as poet Langston Hughes and actress Georgette Harvey, are represented in the collection by their letters, telegrams, or cards. Of special significance are the letters and telegrams from husband-and-wife performers and comedy duo known as Butterbeans and Susie (i.e., Jodie and Susie Edwards, though they signed all correspondence with their stage names). Many of these artists were accomplished and groundbreaking, but some names have been lost to time, and the Index of Selected Correspondents at the end of the finding aid highlights many of this talent.
Certain members of Waters's family are also well-represented, including her third husband, trumpeter and frequent collaborator Eddie Mallory. Correspondence from 1941 provides insight into Waters's separation from Mallory. There are two draft letters written by her, and the letters exchanged between Waters's friends, Mabel "Mapes" Dempsey—who took care of Waters's home and affairs—and Mabel's daughter Julia, provide additional insight. Many letters from Waters's half-sister, Genevieve Howard (envelopes sometimes contain other last names of Goode and Johnson; sometimes referred to as Jenny, Ginny, or Gen), have survived and are particularly important for understanding Waters's life and family dynamics. Letters among Waters and numerous women friends and confidantes are frequently addressed to and signed from "sis"; other letters address Waters as "mom", "mum", or similar terms of close affection.
As evidenced by her correspondence, Waters was incredibly generous to family, friends, and strangers, offering and giving gifts, money, jobs, and other forms of assistance. On one such occasion, Waters wired money cross-country so a friend could leave her abusive boyfriend. Many letters relate details of her generosity and seem to demonstrate the unique position and heavy burden Waters must have experienced as a financially successful Black performer from whom much was expected; not only the expectation to help financially, but an obligation to lift up, give back, and pay it forward for people in her communities.
Throughout her life, Waters employed numerous friends as assistants who forwarded her mail to wherever she was touring, as well as responded to letters on Waters's behalf. There are many incoming letters attached to outgoing carbon copy letters written by Mabel Dempsey ("Mapes" or "M. E. D.") in 1940 and 1941, Beatrice Tenbroeck in 1942 and 1943, Floretta Howard in 1957, and Donna Wilson in the 1960s. Often the original letter contains the early jotting drafts of Waters's reply; presumably taken in person or over the phone, and in 1960 and 1961 when Waters was too ill to write her own letters. These outgoing letters provide a revelatory and charming glimpse into Waters's touring schedule and work, as well as her friendships, family dynamics, thoughts, ideas, and marvelous etiquette. Her gracious responses to offered music and services; requests for career advice, employment, autographs and photos, tickets, charity appearances, or help with the rent; compliments, prayers, and spiritual guidance; as well as personal stories of people, white and Black, who are struggling to make it demonstrate Waters's warm and authentic interest and connection with diverse groups of people, from the train porter to the struggling singer to the First Lady of the United States.
Letters pertaining to business endeavors and Waters's professional projects are interfiled with personal and fan mail for most years. Letters from the 1930s specifically detail bookings and tours, when Waters likely handled most of her own affairs. In later years, Waters's entertainment attorney, Harold Gumm, handled her professional affairs and there is a voluminous amount of correspondence with him and/or his firm, which includes details about contracts, financial matters, bookings, real estate, legal matters, etc. Correspondence with tax attorney Julius Lefkowitz details Waters's financial status, including tax filings, accounting, and legal issues. Many of these letters include enclosures such as box office statements, bills or invoices for good and services, third-party correspondence, contracts, royalty statements, etc. Agents, such as Audrey Wood and Irene Etkin, are also present in the correspondence.
An Index of Selected Correspondents at the end of the finding aid lists majority of the personal and professional correspondence, as well as telegrams and letters found in two scrapbooks for Mamba's Daughters and Cabin in the Sky. Letters from fans and greeting cards have not been indexed. The Index contains minor notes to aid in identifying significant correspondents or specific letters.
Waters's financial status throughout her life is a substantial part of her story. At the height of her career, she enjoyed great financial success, as evidenced by the receipts and invoices for goods and services found in this series (and by the numerous appliance brochures and manuals in the Personal and Professional series, the various documents regarding the purchase and care of her furs throughout the collection, and a focus on her cars in the correspondence as well as documentation of her cars throughout [especially her beloved Lincoln in the Photographs Series]). However, by the late 1940s, Waters was struggling financially and owed substantial back taxes to the IRS. It is possibly for these reasons that Financial Records is the largest series in the collection. It is arranged into two subseries: A. Box Office Statements and B. Taxes and Other Financial Records. The material in subseries B. has received less processing than other series in the collection.
Subseries A. Box Office Statements provide detailed daily reports about a production and can include the number and type of tickets sold, the weather, competing performances in the region, and other information. It is rare for a performer to have such records in their personal papers, so these are particularly informative. The box office statements were spread across the collection and the archivist attempted to bring all of them together into this series, though they may also be found within correspondence (and those instances have been noted when possible) and throughout subseries B. Box office statements are present for
Subseries B. Taxes and Other Financial Records dates from the late 1940s to the early 1960s and is divided into three categories: Taxes, Financial Files, and Other Financial Records. Some material was originally arranged into groupings, particularly the tax files, but much of it was loose throughout the collection and in poor condition. Financial Files contains material from original files; original labels are indicated in single quotation marks. Voluminous amounts of receipts for goods and services, canceled personal checks, hotel invoices, bank statements and other bills, as well as income documents such as box office statements, royalty statements, paystubs and checks, etc. were all interfiled and jumbled with other documents such as identification and membership cards, correspondence, contracts, business cards, travel tickets, leases and legal documents, clippings, programs, lyrics and other performance-related materials, etc. Due to the volume and complexity of document types, this portion of this subseries received minimal processing and was essentially left in the order in which it arrived at the Ransom Center. Material was removed from envelopes (though there may be some unopened envelopes throughout subseries), rubber bands and rusty paperclips and staples were removed, and such groupings were maintained and placed into white paper sleeves. Performance contracts, union membership cards, and clippings were generally removed to the Personal and Professional Papers Series, and performance-related materials were generally removed to the Production Materials Series. Some contracts may remain within this series.
Photographs contains portraits of Waters and others in her professional and personal networks, many of them autographed; candid photographs of Waters, often with colleagues and friends; stills, behind-the-scenes photographs, and publicity portraits from film and theater productions as well as musical revues and other performances; photographs of locations (mostly monasteries); and two photograph albums. Photographs marked with a photographer's name are listed at the beginning of the series alphabetically by photographer, followed by images taken by unidentified photographers. Well-known photographers represented in the collection include Carl Van Vechten and Nickolas Muray. In addition to his photographic portraits, Van Vechten owned a bust of Waters sculpted by Antonio Salemme; postcard images of the bust are filed in this series.
Images of Waters include numerous performance stills, formal portraits in glamourous evening gowns and furs, early photographs from infancy through her teenage years, candid snapshots at home and at various nightclubs, and a series of photographs documenting her purchase of a new Lincoln automobile with vanity license plates. Portraits of other individuals in the collection demonstrate the breadth of Waters's social ties, with subjects drawn from the communities of vaudeville, jazz, Broadway theater, and beyond, ranging from Duke Ellington to Eleanor Roosevelt to boxer Joe Louis.
Production photographs include stills from several different productions of
Approximately 500 postcard photos of Waters performing "Heat Wave" from the revue
One photograph album contains family and childhood photographs, and another album contained stills from the Denver performance of Waters's touring production of
Due to preservation concerns, some types of photographic material, such as negatives and transparencies, have been removed to cold storage. The container list indicates which material was removed. The original material is accessible to researchers with advance notice.
The content of this series covers a wide range of materials that were filed throughout the collection; often with little information about the context, significance, or even ownership. Of significance are the two drafts of Waters's autobiography
Collected material related to Waters's faith and religion include most significantly religious pamphlets, ephemera, photographs, fan mail, and contracts from Waters's involvement in the Billy Graham 1957 New York Crusade, as well as prayer cards, Catholic medals and other sacramentals, and devotional booklets from Mother Clement Mary of the Carmelite Monastery in Pennsylvania (See also Correspondence series). Religious pamphlets and booklets (some from specific evangelists), as well as a framed prayer and images of Jesus, are also present.
Many of the household files appear to have been created and maintained by friend and helper Donna Wilson. These include printed recipe booklets, appliance manuals, mail order catalogs, vehicle manuals and titles, and 81 empty original file folders labeled with general personal categories and home appliances (e.g., 'Ovenette', 'Electric Sink', 'Automobile Club', etc.). Due to their volume, a list of folder titles was created (available on request) and the folders were deaccessioned.
Printed material comprises clippings documenting Waters's throughout her public life and career, as well as published magazines (
There are several artifacts including metal signs (Keep out, Reserved parking, Watch your step!), engraved photo plates, personalized checkbook cases, an embroidered handkerchief, coin purse, Dr. Scholl's heel orthotic, single earring, Max Factor makeup pencil, unused hair net, hotel sewing kit, deck of playing cards, and several sets of trunk keys. A razor blade, a metal nail, straight pins, rusty paperclips, and a safety pin were removed from the coin purse and deaccessioned due to safety concerns.
Purchase, 2024 (2024.0032)
Open for research. Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to the Materials Use Policy before using archival materials.
Two scrapbooks and one manuscript for
Photographic materials removed to cold storage require 24 hours advance notice for access.
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Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the owner of the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Ransom Center's Open Access and Use Policies.
Ethel Waters lived the last several years of her life in the Los Angeles home of Joan Croomes, a close friend who had known Waters since they performed together in the 1943 film version of
Ethel Waters Papers (Performing Arts Collection PA-54203). Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.
Kelsey Handler, 2026; Biographical Sketch by Dr. Eric Colleary
The following collections at the Ransom Center contain material related to Ethel Waters: Joseph Abeles Studio Collection, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Records, Fred Fehl Theater Collection, Morris Leopold Ernst Papers, Carson McCullers Literary File Photography Collection, Gloria Swanson Papers, Robert Downing Papers, and Al Hirschfeld Collection.
Two steamer trunks and one travel wardrobe are cataloged individually, and access requires curatorial approval.
Commercial and non-commercial sound recordings are cataloged individually.
Published books are uncatalogued.