[The introduction to this series of posts is here.]
I like to think that my work has a universality to it. I deal with love, hope, courage, freedom, dignity—the full gamut of human spirit. When I work, though, I think of my own people. That’s only natural. However, my philosophy doesn’t exclude any nation or race of people. — Charles White
“In 1961 Charles White provided a drawing for the cover of the Communist-leaning Mainstream magazine, Vol. 14, No. 2, February 1961. This was the magazine’s Negro History Week 1961 special issue. The drawing was Lift Every Voice (no date recorded in the magazine), named after Lift Every Voice and Sing – the iconic song known for many years as the Negro National Anthem. It was a song written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) in 1900 and several years later, set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). Mainstream magazine was published monthly by Masses & Mainstream, Inc.”
“For its August 1966 special issue on The Negro Woman, Ebony magazine used on its cover Charles White’s memorable circular charcoal drawing depicting the faces of several African-American women, titled J'Accuse! No. 10 (Negro Woman). Unsurprisingly, given the history of the image’s use, the work was formerly in the private collection of John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing Co., Chicago. As publisher of Ebony magazine, it was a page-long statement penned by John H. Johnson that introduced the special issue (p. 25). J'Accuse! No. 10 (Negro Woman) was illustrated in Benjamin Horowitz’s, Images of Dignity: The Drawings of Charles White: 116.
J'Accuse! No. 10 (Negro Woman) referenced the famous title of the influential French novelist, playwright, journalist and writer Émile Zola’s article against anti-Semitism in the Dreyfus Affair (in English: ‘I accuse ...!’). Zola’s open letter was published on 13 January 1898 in the newspaper L'Aurore, and it was an astute editor, with a flair for the dramatic, who gave the piece its legendary title. J'Accuse! addressed French President Félix Faure and accused his government of anti-Semitism, which Zola alleged was demonstrated by the unlawful jailing of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French Army, who was sentenced to lifelong penal servitude for espionage. Zola’s letter gave voice to the belief that the charges against Dreyfus lacked credibility, was characterised by judicial errors and the conspicuous absence of compelling evidence. J'Accuse! was printed on the front page of the newspaper (The Dawn) and caused a sensation.
… [With] his accusatory letter Zola put anti-Semitism (and allegations of its use by the French state) in the dock, [while] White himself, in the series of J'Accuse! drawings, leveled at the state and society accusations of racism, discrimination, oppression and willful abuse against African Americans. White … unambiguously portrayed African Americans as dignified survivors of racism, rather than merely victims of racism. J'Accuse! No. 10 (Negro Woman) was in this regard, a typical work, in that it depicted a range of women who were proud, resilient and strong, and above all, resonated with humanity. Ebony magazine’s special issue drew attention to the particular historical and contemporary challenges facing ‘The Negro Woman.’ Reflective of the ongoing struggle for equality and civil rights, it described how African-American women in the mid-1960s were beginning to defy the female roles and stereotypes of the era. The first section of the Ebony feature depicted six women across the country, excelling in their respective professions as Newspaper Editor, Nutrition Expert, Computer Systems Expert, Finishing Plant Manager, Tax Account Specialist, and Employment Coordinator. Other texts included ‘Builders of a New South,’ ‘The Long Thrust Toward Economic Equality,’ ‘The Angels of Saigon’ (about two African American nurses treating wounded GIs of the Viet Nam conflict), and ‘A Despised Minority’ (about the ways in which ‘[u]nwed mothers are targets of abuse from a harsh society’).
The Contents page had the following reference to White’s cover: ‘COVER: The Negro Woman, subject of this special issue, has been characterized by artist Charles White in a series of melancholy, yet proud female faces. Internationally famous for his apt portrayal of earthy Negro women, White was the logical choice for illustrating the cover of this issue dedicated to his favorite artistic subject. Today, his original works can be found in galleries, art museums and in homes of many leading entertainers. Countless inexpensive prints of them are displayed wherever there are lovers of Negro art.’
There were at least 18 works in White’s J'Accuse! series, with 12 of them being reproduced in Images of Dignity: The Drawings of Charles White (Ward Ritchie Press, 1967).”
“Charles White interacted with Freedomways journal more than any other publication. His work appeared on the covers of the journal on many occasions. It was the leading African-American theoretical, political and cultural journal of the 1960s–1980s, having been published between 1961 and 1985. Freedomways, which by 1970 represented itself as ‘A Quarterly Review of the Freedom Movement’ (The word ‘Negro’ by now having been dropped from its masthead) remained unsurpassed in its embrace of, and attention to, African, African American and African Diasporic subjects. Each issue of Freedomways amounted to a treasure trove of texts and features, written by a distinguished range of scholars, academics, artists and writers.
This particular issue Vol. 6, No. 1 (First Quarter) 1966 was published … [with a] detail of Nocturne, a charcoal drawing dating from 1960. When it was reproduced in Charles White’s Images of Dignity (Ward Ritchie Press, 1967) the accompanying credit declared the drawing to be in the ‘Collection of the Estate of Lorraine Hansberry.’
This issue of Freedomways contained four drawings by White, noted as follows: ’Cover drawings by the well-known Negro artist, Charles White... Front Cover: Nocturne, Back Cover: I Had a Dream, Inside Front: Birmingham Totem Pole, Inside Back: Juba.’”
“Charles White’s commitment to African American history and culture was consistently reflected in his record sleeve and book jacket illustrations. Typical in this regard were his illustrations for Philip Sterling and Rayford Logan’s Four Took Freedom: The Lives of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Robert Smalls, and Blanche K. Bruce. The book was published by Zenith Books in 1967. [I]t was aimed at a juvenile readership, and this particular copy was formerly the property of Watkins Mill Elementary Center. The cover featured portraits by White of the four who took freedom, and the book itself was liberally illustrated with White’s renderings of various scenes from the lives of Tubman, Douglass, Smalls, and Bruce. While the cover portraits (versions of which also appeared at the beginning of each respective section), White’s other illustrations in the book are looser, freer, particularly creative and graphically innovative.”
“Charles White’s commitment to African American history and culture was consistently reflected in his record sleeve and book jacket illustrations. Typical in this regard was his cover and frontispiece illustration for A Layman’s Guide to Negro History, compiled and edited Erwin A. Salk. The publication used on its cover a reproduction of General Moses: A study of 19th Century Heroine Harriet Tubman, by Charles White, from the Golden State Mutual Negro Art Collection, Los Angeles, California.
The book was ‘The first comprehensive bibliography of books and teaching aids, plus listings of major events and personalities in the United States.’ The above, from the cover of A Layman’s Guide to Negro History, was embellished by an endorsement from no less a figure than the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, ‘An outstanding compilation ... few contributions will be so significant to teachers, students, pastors and movement leaders.’ The book was published in 1966 by Quadrangle Books, Chicago.”
“Charles White interacted with Freedomways journal more than any other publication. His work appeared on the covers of the journal on many occasions. It was the leading African-American theoretical, political and cultural journal of the 1960s–1980s, having been published between 1961 and 1985. Freedomways (which represented itself as ‘A Quarterly Review of the Negro Freedom Movement’) remained unsurpassed in its embrace of, and attention to, African, African American and African Diasporic subjects. Each issue of Freedomways amounted to a treasure trove of texts and features, written by a distinguished range of scholars, academics, artists and writers.
This particular issue Vol. 9, No. 2 Spring 1969 (Second Quarter), carried on its cover a Charles White drawing, ‘The Wall.’ From the inside cover of the issue: ‘Cover: “The Wall” by Charles White, is reproduced from a new folio by the world-renowned artist. To order from FREEDOMWAYS see back cover for details.’”
“The June 1967 issue of Negro Digest carried a feature promoting the recently released Charles White book, Images of Dignity. A drawing from the book, Work (depicting a young African American worker), 1953. Wolff crayon and charcoal on illustration board, 44 × 28″ (111.8 × 71.1 cm) appeared on the cover. This was a nine-page feature, running from page 40 – 48. The uncredited piece was introduced as follows: A new book about the life and work of America’s most popular Black artist provides a dramatic illustration of his success, which lies in his never-wavering concern for the humanity and suffering of his people.
Interspersed among the eight drawings reproduced in the feature was a text introducing White and summarizing the book. The piece began, ‘Of the two best known Black artists in America – Charles White and Jacob Lawrence – Charles White is by far the most popular. It might even be said that Charles White is to painting and drawing what Langston Hughes is to literature: both men direct their art to primal human concerns, to the simple problems and pleasures, the ordinary joys and sorrows of the long journey from the cradle to the grave.
In his successful career as a full-time painter, White, like Hughes, has found favour and support among the Black people who are his subjects. More affluent collectors like Harry Belafonte and Eartha Kitt own one or more original works by White, but thousands of ordinary people all over the country have for many years coveted the modestly-priced reproductions which have been made available in art shops and book stores.’
Elsewhere the text states that ‘The artist… is part Creek Indian,’ and that ‘during the late Thirties and Early Forties … [White] met and became friend or associate of a number of talented Black people who were to make an impact on the cultural life of the nation. Among these were Gordon Parks, Katherine Dunham, Gwendolyn Brooks, E. Sims Campbell, Richard Wright, Margaret Walker, Theodore Ward and Willard Motley.’”
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