Independent Historian

After a forty-year career at the Smithsonian Institution, Amy Ballard retired as Senior Historic Preservation Specialist Emerita in 2016. Besides her interest in historic preservation, she has a lifelong interest in Russia.

Her fascination with Russia led her to James Lloydovich Patterson in 2020. She was the project coordinator for Chronicle of the Left Hand: An American Black Family’s Story from Slavery to Russia’s Hollywood by Patterson.

The Saga of James Lloydovich Patterson: Child Film Star, Naval Officer and Poet

In the following article, Amy Ballard, Senior Historic Preservation Specialist Emerita, Smithsonian Institution, describes the life of Russian-born James Lloydovich Patterson, who, at the age of three, was propelled to stardom in the 1936 Soviet classic film TSIRK (Circus). It was, in its own way, … Read MoreThe Saga of James Lloydovich Patterson: Child Film Star, Naval Officer and Poet