"Goddess of real estate sales" Lynn Rousseau McDaniel said that every real estate sale tells a story-and the story of Etta Moten Barnett and Claude A. Barnett is a great story.
For clarity and length, this interview has been edited.
She has its element. He has vision and connections. Two southern immigrants traveling around the world together became a powerful couple in Chicago. Their family will live in a 12-room brownstone on King Drive (formerly South Park Way) in Bronzeville for nearly 50 years.
Etta Moten Barnett (Etta Moten Barnett) is an avant-garde actress who starred in the 1942 Broadway revival version of Poggie and Beth. Sung in movies such as "About". She is a trendsetter and a hot topic-even in her later years, when she joined the federal delegation to carry out cultural missions in Africa. In one photo, she was wearing a full leopard print costume, posing with a live cheetah in front of a palace prince heaven in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Claude A. Barnett is known for his United Black Press. He is keen to amplify the voices of black people, and has also served as a mentor to John H. Johnson, the founder of Ebony, Jet and Tan magazines.
The Barnets died not long ago—Eta died in 2004 at the age of 102, and Claude died in 1967 at the age of 77—but this fall, when Lynn Rousseau McDaniel (Lynn Rousseau McDaniel) When they sold their property, their life stories became the focus again. Part of the estate was also donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. For McDaniel, the Barnett family is more than money and power; they are an American love story worth remembering across the country. We spoke with McDaniel, the co-owner of Logan Square furniture store An Orange Moon, and discussed the Barnett family and her work.
I decided to name Barnett's real estate auction "American Love Story" because when we browsed their files and saw the communication between the two of them, the main message was about love.
It is important to let the world know that the relationship between people of color is very good. The media has never really paid attention to love. We have several great black love movies. For my husband Ty and me, our favorite is Love Jones. However, we never talk about black love. Black people love each other, we love others, we are willing to embrace love. Black people are very romantic-this is what I like to say. I know this is not a word, but I like it: "romantic".
When I first met Tai, he bought me a dozen yellow roses the size of my fist. I was thinking, "This brother has potential" because he is very romantic. This is the same thing I noticed about Claude and Eta.
Claude's office is full of autographed photos, including a large portrait signed by ETA: "My dear, I love you with all my heart." Some of the letters he sent her, his sweetness, just...oh , I want to cover my eyes.
Everyone wants a part of her. A letter from Sidney Poitier asked me to ask: "What did his wife say?!" This is a public letter with a letterhead.
I just need to close my eyes for a moment, and I'm back to rehearsing "Lysistrata" at the Velasco Theater in the mid-1840s, starring the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. The most incredible, most charming, sexiest, most dignified, and sexiest actress who has been on Broadway in my lifetime-the incomparable Etta Moten Barnett. — Sidney Poitier, October 2, 2001
The person who accompanied her told me that Etta’s reaction to Poitier’s attention was, "Did you know? Tell the boy that I will not be disturbed. Go, tell the little boy to go." Everyone wants her, but in her eyes Only her husband. That's why this is an American love story, because she loves Claude with all her heart.
For me, Claude A. Barnett did not get the reward he deserved. He is the one who started Etta's career. He hooked up Etta and Clarence Muse [Car Wash, Porgy and Bess]. Eta performs magic, she is booked, and then leaves. She has never played the role of a maid or servant. He has also developed this huge media empire, and everyone knows him.
They are really a very strong couple. They were Beyoncé and Jay-Z at the time. It would be great if anyone could make a Barnett movie with them as the protagonist. That would be a killer. This is painful because I am trying my best to promote it, because their story is our history. This is the history of Chicago. This is world history.
I don't want [collection] to go to New York or the Florida Keys. I hope these items stay in Chicago, because Barnett is a legend in Chicago. I always see the manor. This series is jaw-dropping. Photos, souvenirs, and, I mean, clothes.
The difference between Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and the Florida Keys—I roll my eyes and say, but I'm just kidding—Chicago is full of history. Collectors really sleep on the south side of Chicago, but this is where the history lies. Bronzeville has a long history.
You can walk into someone’s grandmother’s house, look up at her cupboard, and look at the collection in the kitchen. I saw it with my own eyes-the old Little Red Riding Hood or the Three Little Pigs biscuit tin. Then there are old Maxwell House or Folgers cans with cooking grease on the stove. They are still made of metal, not paper or plastic. They don't know that they can get high prices in the retail market.
More than just the kitchen, we walk into the homes of poor, oppressed black communities, and there is always incredible art. Some quilts are museum-quality quilts. When they demolished the old White Sox Park Komiski Park, they destroyed the entire community. I communicated with people in the community and bought a box of quilts from a muddy water plantation. Then I sold it to the University of California, Los Angeles. In turn, they took it to visit the United States, which I think is an incredible thing.
The saddest part of the entire real estate industry is that when someone dies, people just don't know what to do. It's really a pity and a pity. When it comes to real estate, people will inadvertently throw away-we call it in our industry-"money."
The family of a well-known hat maker in Bridgeview rented a trash can to start the cleanup work and almost threw away most of their precious legacy as they tried to help. They were throwing money, so we had to do a double job, take it out and bring it back. Therefore, you must hand over the work to professionals. We understand that your responsibility is great, but leave the work to professionals.
I am glad to see that Barnetts' important documents have not been discarded for many years, because many times, you walk into these houses and leave nothing. Then you enter some of these houses, these historic manors, and you will see it all.
Many times, family members say, "We don't want anything." Sometimes we still put a box of exquisite souvenirs because maybe there is a granddaughter outside. When we cleaned up one of the oldest houses in Chicago—next to the United Center—there was still a gas lamp on the wall, and the family didn't want anything. They said, “Don’t send us anything; just FedEx will give us a check.” But then I started to see small things, such as a single strand pearl necklace, a small mink shawl, and a pair of pearl buttons on the side. Gloves, and a small French tea set. I found a niece who lives in Chicago-she can't be over 21 years old-and I gave her the box.
We have been engaged in real estate sales for 12 years. We believe that everyone has a story, and our job is to tell that story. As former clinicians, Ty and I often consult with clients, teach them how to say goodbye and find the best way to appreciate the things accumulated in life. We will do the right thing. We will ensure that these documents do not appear on someone's desk at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Los Angeles. No offense to the rose bowl.
I actually met my husband while finishing my internship with a master's degree in psychology at Adler College. I am his intern. My mother, Helen Rousseau, when I was a little girl, graduated from the Ray Vogue School of Design on the corner of Huron and Michigan and was an interior designer. So, to be honest, I came out of an interest in antiques. We are archaeologists, anthropologists, sociologists and therapists. We are browsing the Barnetts archive, we are putting it together, bone to bone, until we build a body.
Claude A. Barnett is the mentor of Ebony founder John H. Johnson, who made these playing cards in the 1960s.
On January 14, 1974, President Richard Nixon’s administrative assistant Rose Mary Woods wrote this letter to Eta Morten Barnet to express her gratitude during the Watergate investigation. Part of it reads: "As you can imagine, the situation I have faced recently is frightening and embarrassing.... I just want to tell you that I am very grateful for your very thoughtful message on your Christmas card. Your note evokes memories of our unforgettable African "Safari Park" in 1957."
Sometime around 1945, the Barnetts on the left received friends at their home. Barnetts owns one of the largest collections of African ivory in the United States-still legal at the time-including ivory carved on the table.
Etta is called "the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life" by Sidney Poitier. This portrait was taken in the late 1920s.
This album records Barnetts’ journey to Ghana during Kwame Nkrumah’s coming to power. Kwame Nkrumah will become the first prime minister of Ghana.
On July 6, 1959, the Barnets were invited to a party for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the Conrad Hilton on Michigan Avenue.
Etta owns and plays this 1914 concertina, with a six-fold bellows and ebony pear wood ends.
In the early 1940s, ETA sang the premiere of a poem by Langston Hughes, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," Margaret Bonds Soundtrack.
This sculpture was obtained during Barnetts' trip to Nigeria, Liberia or Ghana and depicts a legendary figure who brought trophies to his people from village to village. There was a baby elephant on his head, standing on top of a crocodile.
This letter written during Etta’s visit to Porgy and Bess in October 1943 begins with "Hello, dear" and then outlines the expenses incurred during the trip, including: $50 per week for room and board; $17 per week The agency fee for photography; $90 for photography; $20 per year for makeup costs; $50 per year for hairdressers; and "?" is the postage for fans.
The Chicago Magazine Newsletter reports for you. Know where to go, what to eat, where to live, etc. Subscribe for free today!
Subscribe to one or more of our free email newsletters to get immediate updates on local Chicago news, events, and opportunities.