(American, 1882-1931)

Lady in Black, not visibly signed, oil on canvas, 22-1/4 x 18-1/4 in.; modern wood frame, 28-1/4 x 24-1/4 in.

Provenance: Purchased from the artist by the consignor's mother; From a Prominent Charleston, South Carolina Family

The great niece of the artist, Mae Whitlock Gentry is in the process of publishing a catalog raisonne of the artists work. She has requested the use of this image in the publication. The above painting is included in archival slides inherited from the artist’s niece, Edwina Harleston Whitlock. Please see detail images

Note: Harleston was a graduate of Avery Normal Institute in Charleston, Atlanta University, and received his art training at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Despite his artistic talent and prestigious training, as an African American, Harleston was banned from entering many of Charleston’s cultural sites and was shunned by the city's white, art community. Nevertheless, his work received national attention and by the mid 1920s Harleston was offered exhibition opportunities and commissions from patrons in Atlanta, Boston, Washington D.C., and New York. The Gibbes Museum of Art currently owns six works by Harleston, including his renowned Portrait of Aaron Douglas.(Gibbes Museum of Art:  https://www.gibbesmuseum.org/news/artist-spotlight-edwin-harleston-american-1882-1931/ )

Edwin A. “Teddy” Harleston was also a community activist in Charleston, South Carolina. A member of Plymouth Congregational Church, he founded the Charleston chapter of the NAACP in 1917 and served as first president of the organization. His father, Captain Edwin G. Harleston (1854-1931), opened Harleston Funeral Home in 1917, and the duo ran this business until their deaths in 1931.

clean surface, modern varnish coat, linen backed, small areas of retouch in background; frame with minor wear