Julian Bagley was an author and concierge at the San Francisco Opera House. He was born in 1892 in Florida and moved to San Francisco in 1922. From 1932 to 1971, Bagley worked at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. While he served as a concierge, he wrote his first book titled "Welcome to the San Francisco Opera House" in 1923. Bagely also published stories for The Crisis magazine under the editorship of W. E. B. Du Bois, focusing on issues of the time including racism and education for African Americans. In 1973, Bagley published a children’s book called "Candlelighting Time in Bodidalee," a story based on animal folklore from Africa. In this interview, he discusses employment in the Opera House, black performers in the Bay Area, and writing Candlelighting Time in Bodidalee.
Title
Julian Bagley: Welcome to the San Francisco Opera House
Published
Berkeley, CA, Regional Oral History Office, 1973
Full Collection Name
Arts and Letters Oral Histories Individual Interviews
Type
Text
Archive
The Bancroft Library Oral History Center
Note
Bagley, Julian. "Julian Bagley: Welcome to the San Francisco Opera House." Interview by Suzanne Riess in 1972 and 1973. Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1973.
Interview date(s) 1972
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