"Girl in a Pink Dress," Laura Wheeler Waring, 1927.

Waring (1887-1948) was THE great portrait artist of the Harlem Renaissance. Her depictions of major figures in Black history make her worthy of study.

Here we have a portrait of an unidentified young Black woman in a stylist 20s dress, with a stylish 20s hairdo. This is a young lady of fashion, very up-to-the-minute.

But also, her youth, the choice of pink for her dress, and the corsage at her shoulder...this hints at blossoming and young vitality. "Here," Wheeler may be saying, "is the future of Black America, just coming into blossom!"

I've talked about Waring before, including her many portraits and her years teaching, so I won't go into her life story. But I just love this portrait of a young, vital, serene woman, waiting to take on the world.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From a private collection.

#Art #LauraWheelerWaring #WomenArtists #WomenInArt #BlackHistoryMonth #PortraitMonday #HarlemRenaissance #YouthInBlossom #FutureOfAmerica

Explore Black literary NYC with this map of 100 important spots – Literary Hub

Explore Black literary NYC with this map of 100 important spots.

By James Folta, February 10, 2026

This year is the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, and the bookstore McNally Jackson put together a list of 100 places in New York’s five boroughs that were significant for Black literary culture.

It’s a pretty comprehensive list of culturally important locations in literature, music, and art. It’s worth clicking around, but the list includes Akwaaba Mansion, the former home of Minton’s Playhouse, Strivers’ Row, The Schomburg Center, and the spot where “The Dinner Party that Started the Harlem Renaissance” was held in 1924.

The research here spans a century, and includes the locations of some of the oldest Black communities in the US, abolitionist sites like the underground railroad stop where Frederick Douglass passed through, the church where Sojourner Truth preached, and the HQs of publications like The Crisis, The Freedom’s Journal, and the New York Amsterdam News.

There are also lots of spots where writers lived and worked, including the homes of Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Colson Whitehead, bell hooks, June Jordan, and Zora Neale Hurston. You’ll also find a whole swath of contemporary libraries, bookstores, and event spaces on the list.

The weather’s warming in NYC, so if you’re looking for a rambling afternoon, this is a great tool to get you started.

Image from www.officiallangstonhughes.com

black history literary history maps McNally-Jackson New York City

By James Folta

James Folta is a writer and the managing editor of Points in Case. He co-writes the weekly Newsletter of Humorous Writing. More at www.jamesfolta.com or at jfolta[at]lithub[dot]com.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Literary Hub » Explore Black literary NYC with this map of 100 important spots.

"Girl in a Green Cap," Laura Wheeler Waring, 1930.

Waring (1887-1948) was THE great portraitist of the Harlem Renaissance, painting many of the notable Black people of the era.

Born in Hartford, CT, the daughter of a minister, her family was educated and cultured, and her ancestors had been part of the Underground Railroad. She attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, graduating in 1914. She traveled briefly in Europe, returning home when WWI started, but returned in the 20s, where she honed her style and exhibited in Paris galleries.

Returning to the US in 1927, she was commissioned to do portraits of figures of the Harlem Renaissance; this project, along with her work teaching at Cheyney University, an HBCU outside Philadelphia, was to consume the rest of her life. Her work is now featured in some of the country's top museums and galleries.

The subject of this portrait is unknown, but her calm confidence and self-assurance, and that knockout outfit, are beyond question.

Happy Portrait Monday!

From the Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

#Art #LauraWheelerWaring #Portrait #PortraitMonday #HarlemRenaissance #BlackHistory #MLKDay #BelieveInYourself

James Van Der Zee’s Dreamlike Images of the Departed

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/james-van-der-zees-dreamlike-images-of-the-departed

#ClaudeMcKay #HarlemRenaissance.
#RiseUp

#Saturday’sComing
#NOKINGSoct18

“…the jobless should lead the attack on the bastilles, the bonded warehouses along the docks to solve the question of unemployment.” (1920)

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oct/16/claude-mckay-radical-jamaican-journalist-in-1920s-london

If We Must Die (1919)
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44694/if-we-must-die

#ClaudeMcKay #HarlemRenaissance #journalism #poetry #workingclasshistory

Langston Hughes: giving voice to dreams, struggles, and the soul of a generation. ✍️🎵

#LangstonHughes #HarlemRenaissance #PoetryForChange

“Once Upon a Time in Harlem” Is a Film for the Ages

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-is-a-film-for-the-ages