Unique autograph letter signed (ALS) written by Orilla WinfieldAKA Bill Miller(1912-1990), the legendary P.S. 24 Harlem schoolteacher who famously served as James Baldwin\'s foundational childhood mentor (extensively chronicled in Baldwin\'s The Devil Finds Work).
Details & Context:
- Sender: Orilla Winfield AKA \"Bill\" Miller - Signed \"Bill (Orilla)\" in her characteristic hand/nickname variant).
- Recipient: Addressed directly to Shawn Henderson (poet and companion/personal assistant to James Baldwin)
- Content: Miller praises Shawn\'s poetry, asks if he has published his poems, and explicitly discusses scheduled panel/educational discussions on James Baldwin\'s seminal 1953 debut novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain.
- Format: Written across two interior panels of a vintage 6.5\" x 9\" bifold art greeting card.
- Includes Original Envelope: Complete with original mailing cover postmarked to Shawn Henderson with (4) 6-cent W.C. Handy and a 5-cent Margaret Mitchell US postage attached.
Very good vintage condition with clean handwriting in blue ink. Bend corners and expected light age toning to the card and envelope
Note: Orilla Winfield (Bill Miller) was an important figure in James\' life. She recognized his exceptional brilliance at a young age and took special interest in him. She would take him to theaters, movies and other excursions. Miller directed the first play Baldwin wrote. Baldwin said Miller is the main the reason that he \"never really managed to hate White people\". According to Baldwin, she never lied to him and never exercised the cruelties he associated with whiteness. This letter is written to Shaun Henderson. Henderson was Baldwin\'s close friend who lived with him in St. Paul-de-Vence, France in 1985 and 1986.
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![James Baldwin\'s Mentor Orilla Winfield ALS Card RE: \](parts-images-large/g/j0QAAeSwf5Rqoxhq/s-l1600/James-Baldwin-s-Mentor-Orilla-Winfield-ALS-Card-RE.jpg "James Baldwin\'s Mentor Orilla Winfield ALS Card RE: \")