Prentiss Taylor papers, 1885-1991

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A Finding Aid to the Prentiss Taylor Papers, 1885-1991, in the Archives of American Art, by Jean Fitzgerald

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Funding for the digitization of the microfilm of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Table of Contents:

• Biographical Information
• Overview of the Collection
• How to Use the Collection
• Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Biographical Information

Prentiss Taylor was born in 1907 at the Washington, D. C. residence of his maternal grandmother, his birth assisted by his grandmother's cook, affectionately known as Cookie Belle.

In the 1920s, Taylor studied painting with Charles W. Hawthorne in Provincetown, but turned to lithography in the late 1920s to early 1930s during his enrollment at the Art Students League in New York City. He received further training in that medium at the George C. Miller workshop in New York. During this period, he also designed costumes for the American-Oriental Revue. Taylor worked primarily in the printmaking medium for the rest of his life, experimenting with various techniques and compositions and ultimately achieving a status as one this country's great lithographers. Taylor depicted mostly realistic and narrative scenes of subjects and themes that reflected his personal interests in music, architecture, religion and social justice.

During his time in New York, Taylor developed close friendships with poet Langston Hughes and writer Carl Van Vechten. He collaborated with Hughes in the formation of the Golden Stair Press to produce publications reflecting the ideas of the Harlem Renaissance. Taylor created a number of prints and illustration for the press and its publications.

After returning to Washington, D.C., Taylor's work was included in exhibitions at the Corcoran Gallery, the Smithsonian Institution, the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. He was represented by the Franz Bader Gallery in Washington, D.C., and by the Bethesda Art Gallery in Maryland. In 1942, Taylor was elected President of the Society of Washington Printmakers, a position he held for thirty-four years. He also worked as an art therapist for more than thirty years and taught oil painting at American University from 1955-1975.

Prentiss Taylor died October 7, 1991 in Washington, D.C.

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Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The collection measures 20.4 linear feet, dates from 1885 to 1991 (bulk dates 1908-1986) and documents the career of Harlem Renaissance lithographer, teacher, and painter Prentiss Taylor. The collection consists primarily of subject/correspondence files (circa 16 ft.), reflecting Prentiss' career as a lithographer and painter, his association with figures prominent in the Harlem Renaissance, notably Carl Van Vechten and Langston Hughes, his activities as president of the Society of Washington Printmakers and other art organizations, his work in art therapy treating mental illness, and his teaching position at American University. The subject files contain mostly correspondence, but many include photographs and printed material. Also included are biographical, financial, legal and printed material; several hundred photographs; notes and writings; sketchbooks, drawings and a few prints by Taylor; and scrapbooks dating from 1885-1956.

The Langston Hughes files contain photocopies of letters from Hughes, greeting cards, ten original photographs of Hughes, and an autographed card printed with Hughes' poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers. In addition, there is a contract between Hughes and Taylor, witnessed by Carl Van Vechten, forming the Golden Stair Press, through which many of Hughes' poems were printed with illustrations by Taylor. A rare edition of their first publication, The Negro Mother, is found here. Also found in this file is a 1932 final copy of Scottsboro Limited, another collaborative effort between Taylor and Hughes that focused on a case where nine black youths were falsely accused of raping two white women. The collection contains extensive correspondence about Taylor's lithograph of the same title and the printing of the publication. Other rare Harlem Renaissance publications found within Taylor's papers include Golden Stair Broadsides, Opportunity Journal of Negro Life, The Rebel Poet, and Eight Who Lie in the Death House, several of which were also illustrated by Taylor.

Prentiss Taylor's long association with Langston Hughes and other figures of the Harlem Renaissance stemmed from his early friendship with Carl Van Vechten. Taylor's papers contain correspondence with Van Vechten, autographed copies of Van Vechten's booklets, and numerous photographs of notable Harlem Renaissance figures, many taken by Van Vechten, including Zora Neale Hurston, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Eugene O'Neill, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Paul Robeson, and many others. Also found are period photographs of Charleston, South Carolina and Harlem street scenes.

95 letters from Rachel Field, 75 letters from Langston Hughes, 3 letters from Armin Landeck, 46 letters from Josephine Pinckney, 1 letter from Gertrude Stein, 7 letters from Alice B. Toklas, 1 postcard from Mark Van Doren, and 25 letters from Carl Van Vechten are photocopies. Originals of the Hughes and Toklas letters are located at the Yale University Library. Location of the remaining original letters are unknown.

The Prentiss Taylor papers offer researchers insight into the rich cultural documentation of the Harlem Renaissance and the development of twentieth-century printmaking as an American fine art.

Arrangement and Series Description

The collection is arranged into ten series. The largest series housing Subject Files is arranged alphabetically, primarily by name of correspondent, maintaining Taylor's original arrangement. The remaining series are arranged in chronological order. Oversized material from various series has been housed in Box 21 (Sol) and OV 22 and is noted in the Series Description/Container Listing Section at the appropriate folder title with see also/see references.

• Series 1: Biographical Material, 1918-1985, undated (Box 1; 6 folders)
• Series 2: Miscellaneous Receipts, 1929-1986, undated (Box 1; 11 folders)
• Series 3: Insurance Records, 1960-1976 (Box 1; 1 folder)
• Series 4: Notes, 1921-1984, undated (Box 1; 18 folders)
• Series 5: Writings, 1924-1971, undated (Box 1-2; 51 folders)
• Series 6: Art Work, 1916-1975, undated (Box 2; 14 folders)
• Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1885-1956 (Box 2, 21; 10 folders)
• Series 8: Printed Material, 1914-1990, undated (Box 2-3, 21; 29 folders)
• Series 9: Photographs, 1908-1984, undated (Box 3, 21; 0.7 linear feet)
• Series 10: Subject Files, 1885-1991, undated (Box 3-21, OV 22; 18.0 linear feet)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

The Prentiss Taylor papers were donated in 1978 and 1984 by Taylor, and in 1992 and 2004 by his companion, Roderick S. Quiroz, for the estate of Prentiss Taylor. The material lent by Taylor for microfilming in 1978 on reel 1392 was not included as a later gift, and is not described in this finding aid. The collection contains photocopies of letters from Langston Hughes and Alice B. Toklas that Lawrence donated to Yale University Library.

Separated and Related Materials

Three notebooks detailing Taylor's lithographs; a gift and sale notebook; a guestbook; exhibition announcements; and a brochure were loaned to the Archives of American Art by Taylor in 1978 for microfilming on reel 1392. These materials are not described in this finding aid.

Prentiss Taylor papers are also located at the Yale University Library.

How the Collection was Processed

The papers were processed in May 2005 by Jean Fitzgerald, and microfilmed in 2005 with funding provided by the Judith Rothschild Foundation. The collection was digitized from the microfilm in 2008 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation of American Art.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.

Ownership & Literary Rights

The Prentiss Taylor papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Available Formats

The collection was digitized from microfilm in 2008 and is available via the Archives of American Art's website. Researchers should note that the legibility of some materials is poor due to the microfilm quality; researchers may wish to request reels 5911-5935 through interlibrary loan.

Location of Originals

95 letters from Rachel Field, 75 letters from Langston Hughes, 3 letters from Armin Landeck, 46 letters from Josephine Pinckney, 1 letter from Gertrude Stein, 7 letters from Alice B. Toklas, 1 postcard from Mark Van Doren, and 25 letters from Carl Van Vechten are photocopies. Originals of the Hughes and Toklas letters are located at the Yale University Library. Location of the remaining original letters are unknown.

How to Cite this Collection

Prentiss Taylor papers, 1885-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1918-1985, undated (Box 1; 6 folders; Reel 5911)

Biographical material consists of school-related material, membership cards, biographical accounts, and job application forms including letters of recommendation.

Series 2: Miscellaneous Receipts, 1929-1986, undated (Box 1; 11 folders; Reel 5911)

This series consists of receipts for art supplies, books, and art-related services.

Series 3: Insurance Records, 1960-1976 (Box 1; 1 folder; Reel 5911)

This series consists of an insurance policy, receipt, and a damage claim from the shipment of art work.

Series 4: Notes, 1921-1984, undated (Box 1; 18 folders; Reel 5911)

This series includes lists of artists, art works, and exhibitions, information about travel, and notes on cemetery epitaphs.

Series 5: Writings, 1924-1971, undated (Box 1-2; 51 folders; Reels 5911-5912)

Writings include a hand-made book Modelling Zorach P.M. that contains annotations and photographs of Taylor and William Zorach's sculpture class. Also included are manuscripts on miscellaneous art-related topics, poems, and reviews written by Taylor about other artists' work. All writings are by Taylor except for a script by Henry Siddons and a poem by Joseph Titzell.

Series 6: Art Work, 1916-1975, undated (Box 2; 14 folders; Reels 5912-5913)

This series consists of one folder of Taylor's drawings, 14 sketchbooks, designs for bookplates, etchings, and silkscreen prints.

Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1885-1956 (Box 2, 21; 10 folders; Reel 5913)

The Scrapbooks series consists of one volume of clippings, and another containing letters, exhibition catalogs, and miscellaneous printed material.

Series 8: Printed Material, 1914-1990, undated (Box 2-3, 21; 29 folders; Reel 5913)

This series includes clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, programs primarily for theatrical productions, bulletins, and miscellaneous printed material.

Series 9: Photographs, 1908-1984, undated (Box 3, 21; 0.6 linear feet; Reel 5913)

This series primarily consists of three albums containing photographs of family members, friends, and colleagues. Album 1 contains photographs of Taylor, and friends singer Gladys Bentley, composers Celius Dougherty and Nora Holt, dancer Bill Robinson, and author Gerald Sykes. Some of the photographs are by Carl Van Vechten. Album 2 contains photographs of Mrs. John White Alexander, sculptor Richmond Barth, artists Henri Brenner, William Calfee, Margaret Casey Gates, Robert Franklin Gates, Anne Goldthwaite, Armen Landeck, George Miller, and H. L. Wade White, authors Laura Bent, Douglas Stites Fairchild, Rachel Field, Irving Fineman, Frances Frost, Langston Hughes, Clements and Katharine Ball Ripley, Chard Powers Smith, and Mark Van Doren, playwright Zora Neale Hurston, Broadway composer Max Ewing, actress and philanthropist Libby Holman Reynolds, and puppeteers Florence and Remo Bufano.

Album 3 contains additional photographs of the subjects found in Album 2, as well as photographs of Taylor, his friends, nude models, and views of various towns and locations on the East Coast from South Carolina, to Harlem, to Maine. The contents of photograph albums 2 and 3 are arranged alphabetically. Also included in this series are miscellaneous photographs of Taylor, his works, works by others, and travel photographs of New York City, the American West, and various destinations primarily in the United States. Miscellaneous photographs include cemetery headstones and views at a race course.

Series 10: Subject Files, 1885-1991, undated (Box 3-21, OV 22; 18.0 linear feet; Reels 5913-5935)

The Subject Files series reflects the names of individuals and organizations with which Taylor was associated throughout his career. Each file may contain correspondence between the subject and Taylor, as well as related printed material and photographs.