Ellis Wilson papers
name: label: Creator
content: Wilson, Ellis, 1899-1977
label: Names
content: Locke, Alain, 1885-1954
label: Names
content: Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964
topic: label: Occupation
content: Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Painting, American -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: African American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Ellis Wilson papers were loaned for microfilming in 1970 and subsequently donated by Ellis Wilson.
creator: label: Creator
content: Wilson, Ellis, 1899-1977
setName: label: See more items in
content: Ellis Wilson papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of African American painter and illustrator Ellis Wilson measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1922 to 1959, with the bulk of the collection dating from the 1940s. The collection includes certificates, correspondence, printed material, and photographic material. The bulk of this collection is composed of photographs.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Ellis Wilson (1899-1977) was an African American painter and illustrator. He was born in Kentucky and studied at the Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute, and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He later worked as a commercial artist in Chicago before moving to New York in 1928. Wilson was employed by the Federal Arts Project, sponsored by the Works Progress Administration, from 1935 to 1940, and was also involved with the Harlem Artists Guild. During World War II he worked in an aircraft engine factory and was commissioned to create triptychs for military chaplains. In 1944 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and traveled throughout the Southern United States. He later traveled to Haiti. He continued to paint until his death in 1977. In 1985, his painting Funeral Procession (circa 1950) was featured on an episode of The Cosby Show.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.2 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1922-1959
label: Date
content: bulk 1940s
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.wilselli
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged in two series.

Series 1: Papers, 1927-1951 (Box 1; 3 Folders)

Series 2: Photographic Material, 1922, 1942-1948, 1959, undated (Box 1; 5 Folders)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Rayna Andrews in 2018 with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The collection is available on 35 mm microfilm reel 3 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of African American painter and illustrator Ellis Wilson measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1922 to 1959, with the bulk of the collection dating from the 1940s. The collection includes certificates, correspondence, printed material, and photographic material. The bulk of this collection is composed of photographs.

Papers include certificates, professional correspondence, printed material and clippings, and scrapbook pages. The scrapbook pages include clippings of reviews and reproductions of Wilson's work, exhibition invitations and catalogs, and correspondence, including a letter of congratulations from Alain Locke.

Photographic material makes up the bulk of this collection. This series includes three photos of Ellis Wilson taken by Carl Van Vechten.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: Exhibition catalogs and news clippings were transferred to the Smithsonian Institution Libraries after microfilming.