xv+384pp+illus. Remainder mark to lower closed edges. The author recounts the lives of the Harleston family of South Carolina, the progeny of a Southern gentleman and his slave, who cast off their blemished roots and achieved affluence in part through a surprisingly successful funeral parlour business. Their wealth afforded them chauffers, tailored clothes and servants whose skin was darker than theirs. It also launched the family into a generation of glory as painters, performers and photographers in the 'high society' of America's coloured upper class. A remarkable story, enhanced by the recollections of the family archivist, 84-year-old Edwina Harleston Whitlock, whose bloodline the author shares. Index.

Americana Slavery History African American History Social History