Image / Elmer Bartlett playing the pipe organ at the First African Methodist Episcopal …

Elmer Bartlett playing the pipe organ at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, 1920s

View source image on contributor's website.

Get Citation

Have a question about this item?

Contact Owner

Item information. View source record on contributor's website.

Title: Elmer Bartlett playing the pipe organ at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, 1920s
Alternative Title: First A.M.E. Church choir
Date Created and/or Issued: [1920s]
1920/1930
Contributing Institution: UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library
Collection: Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
Rights Information: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Description: Elmer Bartlett was a highly acclaimed choir director and organist. Churches where he worked in include the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. He received several awards in the course of his career including first prize for directing the Los Angeles AME's choir at a 1926 choir competition at the Hollywood Bowl. By 1940 he had moved to Elgin Illinois. He continued to direct choirs and play the organ for various A.M.E. churches.
First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, is the oldest church founded by African Americans in the City of Los Angeles, dating to 1872. Biddy Mason established the church to minister to the mind, body, and soul of the community. This church served as the cornerstone of the community for spiritual growth, social uplift, and economic development.
Elmer Bartlett seated on a bench in front of a pipe organ. Bartlett is wearing a suit.
Written on back of photo: Prof. Elmer Bartlett, organist. First A.M.E. Church, Los Angeles.
Type: image
Identifier: uclalsc_1889_b18_f01_005a.tif
ark:/21198/z1892q2t
Subject: African American choral conductors
African American churches
African Methodist Episcopal Church (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Bartlett, Elmer C., b. 1887
Source: Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
OpenUCLA Collections

About the collections in Calisphere

Learn more about the collections in Calisphere. View our statement on digital primary resources.

Copyright, permissions, and use

If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.

Share your story

Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.