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W.E.B.Du Bois: Literature
W. E. B.Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, author and editor, he was a powerful advocate for African American rights. His writing was integral to the Harlem Renaissance. -
Alain LeRoy Locke :Literature
Alain Leroy Locke was an American writer, philosopher, educator, In 1907 he became the first African American Rhodes Scholar. Locke was considered the Dean of the Harlem Renaissance. -
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Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement, a celebration of African American creativity where art, music, and literature placed the spotlight on the issues of race and inequality but also on the fact that African Americans were integral owners of and contributors to American culture. -
Claude McKay "If we must Die"
Claude McKay's poetry helped define the power of Harlem Renaissance literature. This poem "If We Must Die" was a defining moment signaling the start of a cultural movment. -
Duke Ellington :Music
Jazz legend Duke Ellington played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance as the band leader of the Cotton Club. -
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer. Nicknamed The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on other jazz vocalists. -
Langston Hughes :Literature
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry. Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. In 1921, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" became Hughes's signature poem. -
James Van Der Zee :Photography
James Van Der Zee was a photographer his work documented African American life and he became a leading figure of the Harlem Renissance. -
Archibald J. Motley Jr. :Art
Archibald John Motley, Junior was an African-American painter. He is most famous for his colorful chronicling of the African-American experience during the 1920s and 1930s, and is considered one of the major contributors to the Harlem Renaissance. The painting chosen is titled Mending Socks, 1939. -
Arna Bontemps: Literature
Arna Bontemps was a poet, playwright, novelist and essayist his work is an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance and American literature. -
Aaron Douglas :Art
Aaron Douglas was an African-American painter and a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance. This painting is titled Rebirth, 1927. -
Laura Wheeler Waring :Art
Laura Wheeler Waring created portraits of many well-known figures from the NAACP and the Civil Rights Movement she was a prominent artist of the Harlem Renaissance. -
Wallace Thurman : Literature
Wallace Henry Thurman was an American novelist during the Harlem Renaissance. He also wrote essays, worked as an editor, and was a publisher of newspapers and literary journals. He is best known for his novel The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life published in 1929. -
Louis Armstrong :Music
Louis Armstrong was one of the most famous musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. In 1929, he made his first appearance on the Broadway stage. In his recording of Ain't Misbehavin, he used a pop song, however, interpreted it through jazz. This helped to set the stage for the acceptance of jazz music in the future. -
Nella Larsen :Literature
Nella Larsen was an American novelist of the Harlem Renaissance. Although she only published a few short stories and two novels—Quicksand and Passing—her work became a valuable perspective on race and the American experience. -
Sargent Claude Johnson :Art
Sargent Claude Johnson was one of the first African-American artists to achieve national success. The sculpture Mask was one of his most famous works. -
Augusta Savage :Art
Augusta Savage was a sculptor and an integral contributor to the Harlem Renaissance and American art. -
Richmond Barthe :Art
James Richmond Barthé was an African-American sculptor known for his many public works he was a central artist during the Harlem Renaissance. The sculpture chosen is titled Blackberry Woman, 1932. -
Hale Woodruff :Art
Hale Aspacio Woodruff was an African-American artist known for his murals, paintings, and prints. The painting chosen is titled Landscape, 1936. -
Palmer Hayden :Art
Palmer C. Hayden was an American painter who created lively depictions of African-American life. The painting selected is called The Janitor who Paints. -
Zora Neale Hurston :Literature
Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author. Of Hurston's four novels and more than 50 published short stories, plays, and essays, she is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. -
James Lescensne Wells :Art
James Lescensne Wells was a prominent artist whose work reflected the vitality of the Harlem Renaissance. This painting is called Negro Worker. -
Billie Holiday "God Bless the Child"
Billie Holiday co-writes and records the legendary song "God Bless the Child"
