Mills, Florence, 1895-1927.

Florence Mills (1895-1927), world renowned entertainer during the 1920s, made her stage debut at age 8, billed as "Baby Florence Mills" in the Williams and Walker's production of "Sons of Ham." She went on to perform with the Bonita Company as one of the singing and dancing "pickaninnies," and later with Ada Bricktop Smith and Cora Green, formed the Panama Trio (1910). Mills married fellow performer Ulysses S. Thompson in 1923.

Mills' career took a dramatic turn in 1921 when she replaced Gertrude Saunders as the lead in the hit Broadway show "Shuffle Along." She became a sensation in the production and after a year, went on to star in Lew Leslie's "Plantation Revue" (1922), which was enlarged and renamed "From Dover to Dixie." Following the Broadway run, the production toured London retitled "From Dixie to Broadway," and in 1924 returned to New York. Two years later Mills starred in Leslie's "Blackbirds," which also toured London as well as Paris. On her return to the U.S., her popularity at its peak, Mills became ill and died shortly thereafter of peritonitis. Reportedly five thousand people attended the popular star's funeral at Mother Zion A.M.E. Church in Harlem.

From the description of Florence Mills collection, 1896-1974, 1923-1927. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 144651931

Florence Mills, world renowned entertainer during the 1920s, began her career at the age of five by winning a dance contest. By the age of eight, she had made her stage debut, billed as "Baby Florence Mills," in the Williams and Walker production of Sons of Ham, singing "Miss Hannah from Savannah," taught to her by vaudeville artist Aida Overton Walker, wife of George Walker. A native of Washington, D.C., Mills performed "in the drawing rooms of various Washington diplomats" during the early years of her career. She went on to perform with the Bonita Company as one of the "picks" - the singing and dancing "pickaninnies." After leaving the Bonita Company, Mills and her two sisters, Olivia and Maude, formed a trio (1910), which eventually became a duo after the departure of Olivia. Maude later left the duo and Mills teamed up with Ada "Bricktop" Smith and Cora Green to form the Panama Trio. At some point the Trio performed on the same bill as the Tennessee Ten and Mills became involved with one of the troupe's members, Ulysses S. Thompson. In 1923, Mills and Thompson married.

Although Mills performed widely, a career transforming opportunity came to pass when she replaced Gertrude Saunders as the lead in Shuffle Along (1921). She became an instant success with both the Harlem community and the larger white audiences. After a year of performing in Shuffle Along, she left to star in Lew Leslie's Plantation Revue (1922), which was enlarged and renamed From Dover to Dixie . After a Broadway run, the production retitled From Dixie to Broadway, toured London and in 1924 returned to New York. In 1926, Lew Leslie starred Mills in Blackbirds, which also toured London as well as Paris. In London as in New York, Mills was received by enthusiastic audiences and praised for her outstanding talent. On various occasions the Prince of Wales came to see the show. Her English popularity was so vast that dolls were named after her and "shops designated light brown goods as the Florence Mills' shade."

Upon returning to New York on October 12, 1927, Mills was hospitalized suffering from pelvic tuberculosis. She died on November 1, 1927, after undergoing an unsuccessful operation. The news shocked the world and shook the Harlem community. Five thousand people attended Mills' funeral at Mother Zion A.M.E. Church in Harlem. It was reported that more than 100,000 people packed the streets for her funeral procession. The newspapers reported that as the procession reached 145th Street, "a low flying airplane released a symbolic flock of blackbirds." Mills was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

From the guide to the Florence Mills collection, 1896-1974, 1923-1927, (The New York Public Library. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division.)