United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Type:
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
2.4 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 6 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, 1920-1969 (Box 1; 2 folders) Series 2: Diaries, 1938-1967 (Boxes 1-2; 0.5 linear ft.) Series 3: Correspondence, 1922-1967 (Box 2; 2 folders) Series 4: Printed Material, 1926-1969 (Box 2; 2 folders) Series 5: Sketchbooks and Sketches, 1924-circa 1960 (Boxes 2-6; 1.8 linear ft.) Series 6: Photographs, 1932-1970 (Box 6; 4 folders)
Access Note / Rights:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Summary:
The papers of African-American painter Palmer C. Hayden date from 1920-1970 and measure 2.4 linear feet. The collection contains biographical material, including 32 diaries documenting Hayden's daily activities, scattered correspondence relating to art sales and Hayden's work for the Works Progress Administration, printed material, 47 sketchbooks compiled over a period of almost forty years, and photographs of Hayden and his artwork.
Citation:
Palmer C. Hayden papers, 1920-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The papers of Palmer C. Hayden in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2007 and total 4060 images.
Negatives of photographs of artwork have not been digitized.
Funding:
Funding for the processing and 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.
Biography Note:
Born Peyton Cole Hedgeman, in Widewater, Virginia in 1890, Palmer Hayden received his first art instruction through correspondence courses, then studied in 1925 with Asa Grant Randall at the Boothbay Art Colony, in Maine, specializing in marine subjects. In 1927, Hayden's seascape, Schooners , won first prize for "Distinguished Achievement in Fine Arts" in the Harmon Foundation's first awards ceremony. With that award, and an additional grant from a patron, Hayden was able to continue his studies in Paris, where he further developed his skills in seascapes and ethnic subject matter. Hayden was among the first African-American artists to use African-American subjects and designs in his painting.
Hayden returned to the United States in 1932 and worked steadily over the next several years for the United States government, including the Treasury Relief Art Project and the Works Progress Administration. In 1944 Hayden began work on his noted Ballad of John Henry series of twelve paintings that would occupy him for a decade. In his later work, Hayden continued to focus on African-American themes, capturing both rural gatherings in the South and the urban milieu of New York.
Palmer Hayden died in 1973.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Palmer C. Hayden in 1970 and a portion of it was microfilmed shortly after receipt.
Digitization Note:
The papers of Palmer C. Hayden in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2007. The papers have been scanned in their entirety and total 4,060 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
