16 Facts About Florence Mills

Florence Mills was born a daughter of formerly enslaved parents Nellie and John Winfrey in 1896 in Washington, DC She began performing as a child.

Florence Mills joined Ada Smith, Cora Green, and Carolyn Williams in the Panama Four, which had some success.

Florence Mills then joined a traveling Black show, the Tennessee Ten, and in 1917 she met the dance director and acrobatic dancer Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson, to whom she would be married from 1921 until her death.

Florence Mills became well known in New York as a result of her role in the Broadway musical Shuffle Along at Daly's 63rd Street Theatre, one of the events marking the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance.

Florence Mills received favorable reviews in London, Paris, Ostend, Liverpool, and other European venues.

Florence Mills told the press that despite her years in vaudeville, she credited Shuffle Along with launching her career.

Florence Mills was featured in Vogue and Vanity Fair and was photographed by Bassano's studios and Edward Steichen.

Florence Mills died of infection following an operation at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City, New York on November 1,1927.

Florence Mills is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, in the Bronx, New York.

Florence Mills's widower, Ulysses Thompson, a native of Prescott, Arkansas, was a dancer and comedian, having learned his trade in the world of circuses and travelling medicine shows in the early years of the century.

Florence Mills later married Gertrude Curtis, New York's first black woman dentist.

Florence Mills is credited with having been a staunch and outspoken supporter of equal rights for African Americans, with her signature song "I'm a Little Blackbird" being a plea for racial equality.

Fats Waller memorialized Mills in a song, Bye Bye Florence, recorded in Camden, New Jersey, on November 1,1927, featuring Bert Howell on vocals with organ by Waller; Florence was recorded with Juanita Stinette Chappell on vocals and Waller on organ.

The Florence Mills Theatre opened on 8 December 1930 at 3511 South Central Avenue, Los Angeles.

Florence Mills was pictured on a postage stamp issued by the island of Grenada in honor of "The Birth of the Silver Screen".

Florence Mills is referenced in the 2023 video game Marvel's Spider-Man 2, with a picture of her and a pair of her shoes appearing in a musical heritage museum.