Research Guides: African American History and Culture (Rose Library): Art and Art History

discoverE Search Terms for Rose Library Collections

Use discoverE to find books, journals, videos, government documents, microfilm collections and other materials at the Emory libraries, which include Woodruff, Pitts Theology, Health Sciences Center, McMillan Law, Guy Chemistry, Math & Science Center and, Oxford libraries.

Helpful Search Terms for MARBL Collections:

"African American Author"

"African American Illustrator"

"African American Pamphlet"

"African American Publisher"

Art and Art History Collections

This guide identifies collections related to African American art and art history. The Rose Library at Emory University houses a diverse body of primary sources associated with the African American experience, from literature and history to politics and popular culture. These include an extensive collection of correspondence, literary manuscripts, photographs, and ephemeral material as well as rare books, periodicals, pamphlets, and other printed matter.

The guide serves as a preliminary research tool, providing a brief description of holdings related to African American art and art history with basic information on size, inclusive dates, types of records, and broad subject areas. More detailed descriptions of the sources listed below are available in Rose Library and through DiscoverE, the Emory Libraries’ online catalog. DiscoverE contains bibliographic records for the majority of the manuscript collections held in Rose Library as well as books and other printed material available at Emory University. The online catalog is available at http://discovere.emory.edu. Finding aids for these sources are also available through Rose Library's Web site at http://findingaids.library.emory.edu/. Please note that some collections may not yet have finding aids available.

Manuscript Collections A-Z

ANDREWS, BENNY (MSS 845)
Organizer for the National Arts Program and National Endowment for the Arts. Papers, 1940-2006.
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Papers, 1940-2006; 96.25 linear ft. (159 boxes, 19 oversized papers, 7 oversized bound volumes, 14 bound volumes)

The collection consists of the papers of Benny Andrews from 1940-2006. The papers include correspondence, exhibit files, files relating the his organizational work with the National Arts Program files and the National Endowment for the Arts, photographs, printed material, writings and illustrations, audio-visual material, artwork, and Andrews family correspondence and papers.
BILLOPS, CAMILLE AND JAMES V. HATCH (MSS 927)
The Camille Billops and James Hatch Archives at Emory University consists of materials relating to African American culture and art. Papers, 1879-2002. See also African American Theatre, Black Print Culture

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63 linear ft. (126 boxes, 1 bound volume, 35 oversized papers)

The collection includes a large selection of published and unpublished play scripts written mostly by African American playwrights. Of particular interest are the oral history interviews conducted by Billops and Hatch for inclusion in Artist and Influence; as well as additional oral history interviews relate to the publication of Jim Hatch's Sorrow Is the Only Faithful One: The Life of Owen Dodson. The collected papers series contains materials relating to Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, Glenngo A. King, and John S. Griffin. The printed ephemera contain posters, postcards, and calendars. There are also materials relating to African American theater including records of the Karamu Theater (Cleveland, Ohio) and writings and printed material relating to dance. The photograph series contains images of African Americans in movies and plays; as well as individual publicity shots of African American actors and images of African American singers and bands.
Note: Restrictions on access and reproduction.
BIGGERS, JOHN (MSS 1179)
African American muralist who worked at Hampton Institute and Texas Southern University. Papers, 1950-2001
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27 linear ft. (27 boxes, 4 oversized papers)

John Thomas Biggers was an African American artist. The papers include correspondence, subject files, printed material, audiovisual material, and photographs. The materials document his entire professional career, starting with this work at Hampton Institute, however, the bulk of the material relates to his work at Texas Southern University. The photographs and slides consist primarily of images Biggers used while researching and composing his murals, in addition to extensive documentation of his finished works.
COKER, GYLBERT (MSS 1042)
Artist involved in various projects such as Art Across the Park. Papers, 1968-2001.
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5.75 linear ft. (7 boxes)

The collection consists of the papers of Gylbert Coker from 1968-2001. The papers primarily relate to Coker’s involvement in various art projects, in particular the Art Across the Park projects (1980 and 1982) in New York City. These files include correspondence with artists as well as documents concerning planning and implementing the projects. The collection also includes writings by Coker and others, as well as printed materials such as exhibit catalogues and flyers.
DOVER, CEDRIC (MSS 1108)
Papers of Cedric Dover, Anglo-Indian author of American Negro Art, including correspondence, printed material, photographs, and writings by Dover and others. Papers, 1920-1960. See also Communism and the Left, Literature
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3.75 linear ft. (8 boxes, 2 oversized papers, 12 bound volumes)

Related Subject Headings: Communism and the Left, Literature

The collection consists of the papers of Cedric Dover and includes correspondence, printed material, photographs, and writings by Dover and others. The bulk of the correspondence concerns the publication of American Negro Art and covers the years 1959-1960. The printed material consists primarily of journals, reprints of articles, and other words written by Dover throughout his career, in addition to material related to Fisk University and African American art in the mid-twentieth century. Writings include a manuscript draft of Dover's first, but unpublished, book on butterflies, drafts of biographical sketches of artists under consideration for inclusion in American Negro Art; and several drafts of articles on race and sociology. Photographs include images of prominent African American intellectuals and artists, including Langston Hughes, Charles S. Johnson (president of Fisk University), and W.E.B. Du Bois, Nancy Prophet, Owen Dodson, Arna Bontemps, and others.
GREENE, CARROLL (MSS 1220)
Papers of African American art historian Carroll Greene, including correspondence, printed material and photographs mainly relating to his interest in African American art and artists.
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Papers; 1 linear ft. (1 box)

Carroll Theodore Greene, Jr. was born on June 17, 1931. Greene lectured, curated many exhibits, and published widely on the work of Africa American artists. In 1967, he co-curated "The Evolution of Afro-American Artists: 1800-1959" with Romare Bearden at the College of the City University of New York. In 1968, he began a fellowship in Museum Studies at the Smithsonian Institute, where he played a role in adding to the museum's collection of African American artifacts. He published American Visions, Afro-American Art-1986 in 1987. He was a founding member, curator, and executive director of the Acacia Collection of African Americana, which he formed in 1989. Greene died at his home in Savannah on May 30, 2007. The collection consists of the papers of African American art historian Carroll Greene. This small collection of papers includes correspondence, printed material and photographs mainly relating to Greene's
HARLESTON, EDWIN AUGUSTUS AND ELISE F. HARLESTON (MSS 1161)
Family papers of Edwin Augustus Harleston, African American artist, his wife, Elise, and his niece Edwina Harleston Whitlock. Papers, 1900-2002. See also Photography
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9 linear ft. (9 boxes, 2 oversized bound volumes)

The collection consists of the family papers of African American artist and activist Edwin Augustus and his wife photographer Elise F. Harleston. The papers include correspondence (1903-1963), personal papers (1902-1936), sketchbooks and other artwork (1907-1930), writings by Harleston (1918-1931), printed material (1905-1937), and a small number of photographs (circa 1860s-1910). Materials consist of both originals and duplicates. Also included are the papers of the Harlestons' niece, Edwina Harleston Whitlock, who extensively researched her family history. Whitlock's papers consist of her research files on the Harleston family and African American history, writing projects on the life of Edwin Harleston (circa 1960-2005), and her personal files (1926-2006).
HOWELL, BILL (MSS 1213)
Photographs and printed material relating to African American artist Bill Howell. Papers, 1943-1975. See also Photography
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.5 linear ft. (1 box, 1 oversized paper)

William Lowell Howell was an African American painter and photographer. The collection consists primarily of photographs and printed material relating to Bill Howell. The photographs include images of Howell from childhood to adulthood and images of his family including his wife Bonnie, and son, David. The printed material includes a business card for Pamoja Studio Gallery, clippings about Howell, and several exhibit catalogs which include his work.
JACKSON, DELILAH (MSS 923)
Papers collected or created by Delilah Jackson in her research on African American entertainers, including photographs, correspondence, subject files, oral history interviews, and films. Papers, 1852-2001. See also African American Theatre, Business, Music
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26.25 linear ft. (54 boxes, 62 oversized papers)
Related Subject Headings: African American Theatre, Business, and Music

Delilah Jackson established the Black Patti Research Foundation in New York City to document the lives and work of African American performers in Harlem. The collection contains materials related to the history of African American dance, theater, and music, particularly from the Harlem vaudeville era. The papers include personal correspondence, scrapbooks, subject files on individual performers, photographs, scripts, programs, oral history interviews, short films, and the records of Delilah Jackson's organization, the Black Patti Foundation. There are some early photographs from the turn of the twentieth century, but the bulk of the photographs date from the 1920s through the 1940s. Of particular note are the rare photographs of little known vaudeville performers, dancers, and singing groups. The oral history interviews are also a very notable part of the collection. There are over 300 recorded interviews with Cotton Club dancers, singers, musicians, photographers, and other performers who recall the culture of Harlem and their own experiences as Black performers over the years.
JONES, PAUL R. (MSS 1187)
Paul R. Jones (1928-2010), African American art collector, businessman and activist. See also African American Theatre, Civil Rights and Post-Civil Rights Movements
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Papers, 84 linear ft. (84 boxes, 5 oversized bound volumes)

Paul R. Jones was an African American art collector, businessman and activist. The collection consists of the personal papers of Paul R. Jones, including printed material, correspondence, photographs, subject files, and audiovisual material. Materials document Jones' involvement in the African American arts community, as well as his work with VISTA, ACTION, the Model Cities Program, and the Committee to Re-elect the President [Richard Nixon].
KENNEDY & SONS, FINE PRINTERS (MSS 908)
Collection of African American commercial printing business Kennedy & Sons, including books and printed material. See also Black Print Culture, Business
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Collection; 4 linear ft. (5 boxes, 7 oversized papers)

The African American commercial printing business, Kennedy & Sons, Fine Printers, was founded by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1995. The collection contains books and printed material by Kennedy & Sons, Fine Printers.
LEBLANC, WHITNEY J. (MSS 1141)
Papers of Whitney LeBlanc, African American director, writer, producer, set designer, and stained glass artist, including correspondence, printed material, writings, and audiovisual material. Papers, 1956-2009. See also African American Theatre
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9 linear ft. (7 boxes, 4 oversized papers)
Related Subject Heading: African American Theatre

Whitney J. Leblanc is an African American director, writer, producer, set designer, and stained glass artist. The collection includes correspondence, printed material, writings, and audiovisual material. Also included are drafts and slides documenting LeBlanc's set designs. Writings include LeBlanc's theses, plays, screenplays, television and film proposals, and speeches. Printed material includes programs and reviews from his various productions. Audiovisual material includes recordings of the programs that LeBlanc directed, such as Our Street and Good Times. Finally, the collection includes templates used for his stained glass work.
LEWIS, SAMELLA S. (MSS 1132)
Papers of Samella S. Lewis, an African American artist and educator, including writings, correspondence, printed material, subject files, photographs, and audiovisual material.
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Papers; 46 linear ft. (46 boxes, 2 oversized papers)

Samella Lewis is an African American artist, author, and educator. The collection consists of writings, correspondence, printed material, subject files, photographs, slides, and audiovisual material. The collection also includes the papers of Richmond Barthè, an African American artist and the subject of a book by Lewis, Barthè: His Life in Art, published in 2009.
PORTER, JAMES A. (MSS 1139)
Papers of James A. Porter, African American artist and art historian, consisting primarily of research and correspondence files related to the publication of Modern Negro Art, and his tenure at Howard University. Papers, 1930-1970. See also Education
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15.5 linear ft. (17 boxes, 1 oversized paper)

James Amos Porter was an African American artist and art historian. The collection consists of the papers of James A. Porter from 1914-1970. The papers include artist files, audiovisual material, correspondence, personal papers, photographs, printed material, subject files, and writings. The artist files document Porter's research into artists in the African Diaspora, focusing primarily on African American artists. They include correspondence, photographs, and printed material. Porter's correspondence dates from 1928-1970 and relates to Porter's research in addition to his role as head of the Howard University Department of Art and director of the Art Gallery. Notable correspondence includes several letters that document his intention to publish a follow up edition of Modern Negro Art intended to include post World War II artists.
SIMON, WALTER AUGUSTUS (MSS 1057)
Papers of Walter Augustus Simon, an African American artist and professor of art. Papers, 1921-1979. See also Education
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2 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Related Subject Heading:Education

Walter Augustus Simon (1916-1979) was an artist and a professor of art education and art history. The papers include correspondence, certificates and awards, writings, lecture materials, photographs, and documents associated with his work as a cultural affairs officer in Cairo, Kabul, and Colombo, and printed material.
THOMPSON, MILDRED (MSS 1199)
This collection contains the papers of African American artist Mildred Thompson, including correspondence, manuscripts, artwork, photographs and printed material. See also Art and Art History
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Papers; 14 linear ft. (14 boxes, 3 oversized papers, 1 oversized bound volume)
Subject Headings: Art and Art History

This collection contains the papers of African American artist Mildred Thompson, including correspondence, manuscripts, artwork, photographs and printed material.
WILLIS, JOHN RALPH (MSS 1208)
This collection contains the papers of John Ralph Willis including correspondence, printed material and a few photographs. Papers, 1971-1992.
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.25 linear ft. (1 box)

This collection contains the papers of African American educator and art collector John Ralph Willis from 1971-1992. The collection documents Willis's interest in African American art through correspondence, printed material and a few photographs. The correspondence includes letters to Willis from artists Joseph Delaney and Rex Gorleigh, as well as a number of fellow educators. Printed material includes symposia programs, newsletters and articles about African American art, and also exhibition invitations and programs, particularly from the Rainbow Sun Gallery. The photographs in this collection are of Willis with artists Hughie Lee-Smith and Jacob Lawrence.

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