Autograph of Arthur B. Spingarn, civil rights activist, NAACP president (1878-1971)

1902 Autograph of the civil rights activist and president of the NAACP. Signed "A.B. Spingarn" in pencil in 1902 on a page removed from an unknown book. Spingarn was an avid collector of books and other material by African Americans, and he has also written [Limited edition] below his signature. Spingarn and his brother, Joel, were Jewish Americans who became interested in the civil rights movement through the work of W.E.B. Dubois. They were active in the NAACP from its outset in the early 1900s. A.B. [Arthur Barnette] Spingarn was chairman of its legal committee, vice president from 1911-1940, and president from 1940-1946. His important "Spingarn Collection" was donated to Howard University and helped form the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. Joel Spingarn was a founding member of the NAACP in 1909, and president from 1930-1939. The prestigious Spingarn Medal is awarded annually to honor African American achievement. An early example of A.B. Spingarn's signature. Uncommon outside of institutional collections. Good condition overall. Laid paper, approx. 7.75 x 4.5 inches. Signature is clear and unmarked. The page is intact but with age-toning, creasing, chipping and short edge tears, and an old ring mark.