Randazzo (Randy) Collection PI/2015.0023
The Randy Randazzo Collection of photonegatives, postcards, ephemera, and photographic prints provides a rare look at life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and South Mississippi from the turn of the twentieth century into the 1970's. A ninth-generation Biloxian working as an information technology professional in Maryland, Randy Randazzo began his acquisitions with a set of antique postcards of Biloxi and Pass Christian discovered while Christmas shopping in 1992. After twenty years of visiting postcard conventions, Mr. Randazzo decided to donate his memorabilia to MDAH when he realized he was having a difficult time finding postcards he did not already own. Images can be accessed through keyword search or by browsing within each series.
Read MoreThe Randy Randazzo Collection of photonegatives, postcards, ephemera, and photographic prints provides a rare look at life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and South Mississippi from the turn of the twentieth century into the 1970's. A ninth-generation Biloxian working as an information technology professional in Maryland, Randy Randazzo began his acquisitions with a set of antique postcards of Biloxi and Pass Christian discovered while Christmas shopping in 1992. After twenty years of visiting postcard conventions, Mr. Randazzo decided to donate his memorabilia to MDAH when he realized he was having a difficult time finding postcards he did not already own. Images can be accessed through keyword search or by browsing within each series.
Collection Description
The Randy Randazzo Collection contains 1,083 photonegatives and 4,322 postcards, ephemera, and photographic prints that feature the Mississippi Gulf Coast and South Mississippi. Mr. Randazzo attributes most of the negatives to Anthony (Tony) Ragusin of Biloxi, a professional photographer who covered the Gulf Coast from the 1930's to the 1970's.
Provenance
The postcards, photographic prints, and other memorabilia were collected by Mr. Randazzo between 1992 and 2015. The photonegatives were inherited from an uncle, Walter Fountain, who was a Biloxi historian. The collection was donated to MDAH by Randy Randazzo in September 2015.