Black Baton Twirlers & Majorettes
I’m gonna make it to heaven / Light up the sky like a flameI’m gonna live forever / Baby, remember my nameRemember, remember, remember, remember(Irene Cara as Coco Hernandez, Fame, 1980)
Majorettes in Training, Camden County, Georgia (1950s)
The girl in the middle's got some sass, y'all. She's looking straight at the camera, too. This is an image of majorettes-in-training in St. Mary's, a small city in Camden County, Georiga, 1950s. St. Mary's is located on St. Mary's River in the state's Low Country near...
All-Black Dunbar School Majorettes (1950s)
Required Citations | Dunbar High School Marching Band, photograph, May 16, 1950. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1591003/: accessed May 9, 2023), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org;...
Tiny New Jersey Majorette, 1972
How cute is this tiny New Jersey majorette marching in a Newark parade, 1972. The photo was sourced from the City of Newark Publicity Office / Office of the Mayor / 1972 collection. The child is identified in the collection as a "tiny Puerto Rican." We love her little...
Black Baton Twirling Skipper Doll, 1992-93
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kewpie83/ For more information on Black Baton Twirling Skipper (a.k.a. Skipper Madison Roberts), please refer to the post, Skipper Highlight Reel: Baton Twirling Skipper on the blog, Confessions of a Doll Collector's Daughter....
North Carolina A & T Majorettes (1960s, 70s)
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical (A&T) State University is considered the top Historically Black University (HBCU) in the United States. The college is located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The following pictures feature traditional majorettes who...
1970s Black Majorette (Professional Portrait)
This photo features a Black majorette from the 1970s. The identity of the twirler is not known. Her costume, like many still today, drew strong inspiration from military uniforms. Features include a stand up collar, double row of buttons and cording styled similar to...
Yvonne, Jackson State University Majorette (1950s)
Yvonne Braxton-Sharpe, college majorette, Jackson State University Marching Band, circa 1952-1956 | Jackson Mississippi
Columbus, Ohio – 1968
Drum Major and Majorettes | Columbus, Ohio | 1968
Pensacola, 1950
First Majorettes at Jones High School | Pensacola, Florida, 1950
Booker T. Washington H.S., 1963
The Booker T. Washington H.S. Majorette Squad, Columbia, South Carolina, 1963. Drum Majorette: Nancy Chinn Finch. Also pictured, Carolyn Butler. Other majorettes' names currently unknown.
Tulsa, 1969
Majorettes from Booker T. Washington High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1969; Left to Right Dorothy Cooper, Captain; Marsha Wilson, Sandra Lee, Debora Conrelius and Lavern McDonald.
Booker T. Washington H.S., c. 1950
As indicated by the emblem on her band jacket, this drum majorette attended a high school somewhere in the United States that was named for Booker T. Washington. The photo appears to be from the 1950s. | State Unknown | Name Unknown
I.M. Terrell H.S., 1948
I.M. Terrell H.S. Drum Major Joseph Wells and Majorette Carelen Phillips, Fort Worth, 1948. Photo by Calvin Littlejohn I.M. Terrell H.S. Drum Major Joseph Wells and Majorette Carelen Phillips, Fort Worth, 1948. Photo by Calvin Littlejohn
Clarice Gipson, 1945
Clarice Gipson, Jonesboro H.S. Majorette, 1945 Clarice Gipson, Jonesboro H.S. Majorette, 1945
Little Black Majorette, 1945
This photo of a little Black majorette was taken at the National Elks Convention in New York City in 1945. The photographer was the renowned John W. Mosley (1907-1969), a foremost photojournalist of 20th Century Philadelphia. He documented the “vitality of the Black...
Pointe Coupée Parish, c. 1980
Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, is the oldest settlement on the lower Mississippi. Parade, Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana, circa 1980. Black Drum Major leads a Parade, Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana, circa 1980. Parade, Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana, circa 1980....
Thank you!
Miss Daisy Tinsley, Majorette, Tuskegee High School, 1950
Recorded Histories
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information using sound recordings of interviews with people having personal knowledge of past events. If you would like to share your personal oral history of baton twirling, please let us know. We are available to conduct interviews every Friday. Interviews will be available on this website. Once a substantial number of interviews have been conducted, they will be presented in podcast format. Nothing will be published without the interviewee’s written consent. Thank you for helping preserve the history of baton twirling.
Vintage Ephemera
Baton twirling ephemera refers to things like programs, posters, patches, stickers, magazines, newsletters, and other things typically written or printed that were used for a specific period of time.
Majorette Memories
We welcome high-quality scans of your vintage baton twirling ephemera. You can also receive items through the mail. We’ll digitally preserve your memories in high-quality scans. Thank you so much for supporting this project.
&
Rare Merchandise
Once or twice a year we will offer a commemorative item or rare keepsake for sale such as a sticker, patch, pin or T-shirt, etc. All proceeds will help offset the cost of this project, which includes the cost to acquire rare and/or copyrighted materials.
We will offer our first piece of merchandise on World Baton Twirling Day, April 10, which is also the the official launch day for The Vintage Twirler. Please sign up for updates below so you don’t miss our annoucement. Thank you so much for your interest in this project.