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Cliff Hall negatives and photographs

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 7010

Scope and Contents

This collection primarily consists of undeveloped negatives, snapshots, prints, and correspondence by Los Angeles native photographer Cliff Hall (1925-2020), which appear chiefly to date from the 1950s to early 2000s. The images reflect photo shoots and candid images made by Hall of society and cultural events and often document Los Angeles’ Black community. Notable persons include: Arsenio Hall, Stevie Wonder, Muhammad Ali, Sammy Davis jr, and OJ Simpson.

Dates

  • Creation: c.1950s-2008

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Advance notice required for access.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Biographical / Historical

Cliff Hall (1925-2020) was a prominent Black photographer, inventor, and designer in Los Angeles, California. Clifford Augustus Hall was born in Los Angeles on August 11, 1925. He served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946 and later studied at the Fred Archer School of Photography. Hall worked at the Los Angeles Sentinel in the 1950s and 1960s and co-founded Halmont Graphics with Lamont McLemore in 1958. As an independent photographer, Hall became well-known photographing social events, weddings, and socialites, often in Beverly Hills and Bel Air, as well as Los Angeles’ Black community. Hall was also an inventor, notably creating a sports car prototype named the Corwin Getaway in 1969. Hall died on January 5, 2020.

Extent

17.6 Linear Feet (17 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection primarily consists of undeveloped negatives, snapshots, prints, and correspondence by Los Angeles native photographer Cliff Hall (1925-2020), which appear chiefly to date from the 1950s to early 2000s. The images reflect photo shoots and candid images made by Hall of society and cultural events and often document Los Angeles’ Black community.

Additional collection guides

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Cliff Hall in 2007 and 2008.

Processing Information

This collection is unprocessed.

Title
Finding aid for the Cliff Hall negatives and photographs
Status
Unprocessed
Author
Diann Benti
Date
2021 October
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2023 January: Finding Aid updated by Marissa Chavez and Sarah Jardini for History Associates Incorporated

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States