Palmer C. Hayden papers
name: label: Creator
content: Hayden, Palmer C., 1890-1973
label: Names
content: United States. Works Progress Administration
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: African American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated by Palmer C. Hayden in 1970 and a portion of it was microfilmed shortly after receipt.
creator: label: Creator
content: Hayden, Palmer C., 1890-1973
setName: label: See more items in
content: Palmer C. Hayden papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: 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.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Born Peyton Cole Hedgeman, in Widewater, Virginia in 1890, Palmer Hayden received his first art instruction through correspondence courses, then studied in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.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2.4 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1920-1970
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.haydpalm
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Diaries
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: 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)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was microfilmed at some point after receipt on reels 43-47. It was fully processed, arranged, and described by Stephanie Ashley in October 2006, and scanned, with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: 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.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Diaries
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: 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.