William Arthur Cooper papers
name: label: Creator
content: Cooper, William Arthur, b. 1895
label: Names
content: Dawson, Charles C., b. 1889
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- North Carolina
label: Topic
content: African American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Lent for microfilming 1984 by Jimmy Lee Taylor, who discovered the papers beneath the floor boards of an abandoned shed in Charlotte, N.C. The shed was owned by Cooper, who apparently left everything when he moved to St. Louis circa 1940. The originals are now owned by the Special Collections & University Archives, J. Murrey Atkins Library, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
creator: label: Creator
content: Cooper, William Arthur, b. 1895
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: William Arthur Cooper (1895-1974) was an African American minister, lawyer, and painter in North Carolina. His paintings depict African American field hands, domestic servants, children, religious and civic leaders, and business executives. As a member of the North Carolina Interracial Commission, Cooper made a "good will" tour to colleges and universities in North Carolina where he exhibited his paintings and gave lectures on art and Black culture.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Microfilm reel (500 items)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1918-1941
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.coopwill
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Microfilm reels
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: 35mm microfilm reel 3175 available at Archives of American offices and through interlibrary loan.
originalsloc: label: Existence and Location of Originals
content: Originals in: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Special Collections and University Archives.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: This microfilm collection of William Arthur Cooper papers contains biographical materials; correspondence conerning portrait commisions, art lectures, and exhibitions; financial records including account books and receipts; notes and a report concerning Cooper's "good will" tour; Cooper's publication Educating Through Fine Arts, and his book A Portrayal of Negro Life (1936), as well as documents related to the book including proposed plans, sales records and draft typescript, which contains portraits not included in final version. Also included are price lists for works of art; printed material including exhibition catalogs, clippings, and ABCs of Great Negroes by Charles C. Dawson; and photographs depicting Cooper, his friends and church members, and his works of art.