Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Additional Online Media

Catalog Data

Creator:
Alston, Charles Henry, 1907-1977  Search this
Subject:
Wright, Louis T. (Louis Tompkins)  Search this
Woodruff, Hale  Search this
Bearden, Romare  Search this
Bearden, Anna Alston  Search this
Browne, Byron  Search this
Logan, Myra  Search this
Lawrence, Jacob  Search this
Welty, Eudora  Search this
City University of New York. City College  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
0.9 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 6 series: Series 1: Biographical Information, 1924-1977 (Box 1; 3 folders) Series 2: Correspondence, 1931-1977(Box 1; 7 folders) Series 3: Commission and Teaching Files, 1947-1976 (Box 1; 4 folders) Series 4: Writings and Notes, circa 1940s-1970s (Box 2-3; 4 folders) Series 5: Printed Material, 1928, 1946-1980(Box 2-3; 5 folders) Series 6: Photographs, 1925-1968 (Box 2; 2 folders)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Summary:
The scattered papers of African American and Harlem Renaissance painter, muralist, illustrator, sculptor, and educator Charles Henry Alston measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1924-1980. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, commission and teaching files, writings and notes, printed materials, and photographs. Notable correspondents include Romare Bearden, Byron Browne, Jacob Lawrence, and Hale Woodruff.
Citation:
Charles Henry Alston papers, 1924-1980. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
This site provides access to the papers of Charles Henry Alston in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2010, and total 948 images.
Materials not scanned include health records, financial tax notes, duplicates, and photographs of works of art.
Material lent for microfilming is available on 35mm microfilm reel N70-23 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Funding:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Use Note:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Charles Henry Alston, one conducted by Harlan Phillips on September 28, 1965 and another by Al Murray on October 19, 1968.
Additional Charles Henry Alston papers are located at the University of North Carolina's Southern Historical Collection at the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library. In 1970, Charles Alston loaned materials for microfilming, including correspondence with Henry Epstein, Langston Hughes, Robert Riggs, Harry Sternberg, J. Johnson Sweeney, Hale Woodruff and others. Also loaned for microfilming were sketchbooks, printed materials, and photographs. Subsequently, some of the photographs were later donated by Alston's sisters. The loaned materials are available only on microfilm reel N70-23 at Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan. These materials are not included in the container listing of this finding aid.
Biography Note:
Charles Henry Alston (1907-1977) worked primarily in New York city as a painter, muralist, illustrator, and educator. He was part of the Harlem Renaissance movement in the 1930s and helped form the Harlem Art Workshop and the Harlem Artists Guild.
Charles Henry "Spinky" Alston was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 28th, 1907. His parents were the Reverend Primus Priss and Anna Miller. After the death of his father, Alston's mother married Henry Pierce Bearden (Romare Bearden's uncle) in 1913 and the family moved to New York City.
At DeWitt Clinton High School in New York, Alston served as art editor of the school's literary magazine. Alston majored in fine arts and history at Columbia University, graduating in 1929. He became active in the Harlem community and accepted a position as director of Utopia House, a boy's camp, where he started an art program. He returned to Columbia and recieved a Masters degree in art education from Columbia's Teachers College. While still a student, he illustrated album covers for jazz musician Duke Ellington and book covers for poet Langston Hughes.
Alston played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance Movement of the period. During the Great Depression, he and sculptor Henry Bannarn directed the Harlem Art Workshop which was funded by the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project. There he taught and mentored African American painter Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden, among others.
In the 1950s, Alston embarked on a series of portraits of African American figures. He also taught at the Art Students League and later with the City College of New York (CUNY). Along with his wife, Myra Logan, a surgeon at Harlem Hospital, Alston lived in Harlem and remained an active member of the community until the end of his life. Charles Alston died in 1977.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Charles Alston lent portions of the collection for microfilming in 1970. Aida Winters and Rousmaniere Alston Wilson, Charles Alston's sisters, donated additional materials to the Archives of American Art in 1982 and 1984.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of Charles Henry Alston in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2010. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 965 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Harlem Renaissance  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
African American sculptors  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)5643
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208477
AAA_collcode_alstchar
Theme:
African American
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208477