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Palmer C. Hayden (January 15, 1890 – February 18, 1973) was an American
painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
who depicted
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
life,
landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...
s,
seascape A seascape is a photograph, painting, or other work of art which depicts the sea, in other words an example of marine art. The word originated as a formation from landscape, which was first used of images of land in art. By a similar dev ...
s, and
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n influences. He sketched, painted in both
oils An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
and
watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
, and was a prolific artist of his era.


Early life

Palmer C Hayden, originally named Peyton Cole Hedgeman, was born on January 15, 1890 in
Widewater, Virginia Widewater is an unincorporated community in Stafford County, in the U.S. state of Virginia. Located on the banks of the Potomac River, it was the site of the flight experiments by Samuel Langley during the late 19th and early 20th century.Michael ...
. Hayden was introduced to the arts by his older brother who took up drawing at an early age. Despite his early interest in art, Hayden had ambitions to become a
fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...
player. Unfortunately, several obstacles prevented this, including his reserved nature and financial instability in his family. Despite his great success as an artist, Hayden would later come to regret his decision to abandon his initial dream. Bitter frustration lingered in Hayden's mind as is reflected in some of his work. ''Midnight at the Crossroads'' is a painting that depicts the decision he was forced to make. While the notable tilt of his feet and face illustrate his inclination towards the path of the musician, he ultimately chooses the other road. This piece demonstrates the personal significance of Hayden's conflict. Hayden moved to Washington, D.C. during his teenage years in order to find work to make a living. He worked as a carrier and an errand boy while finding inspiration for his work from the everyday bustle of the city. It was in Washington, D.C. where Hayden ultimately began to pursue an art career, and where he first encountered an experience with explicit
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagoni ...
. Hayden had placed an ad in the local paper for an artist’s assistant, and was bewildered when he was rejected for being African-American upon arriving at the interview. Discouraged, Hayden decided to go into employment as a laborer for the Buffalo Bill Circus and then the
Ringling Brothers Circus Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows is a circus founded in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling brothers: Albert, August, Otto, Alfred T., Charles, John, and Henry. The Ringling brothers were sons of a Ge ...
. He bounced from occupation to occupation with little commitment, then decided to enter the
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
's black company stationed in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. Hayden enlisted into the military in 1912. While enrolled, he found himself pleased with the amount of spare time he had and even found a tutor in
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...
Arthur Boetscher, who enjoyed map drawing and would often loosely instruct Hayden. This was Hayden's first true experience with artistic education. After four years of service in the military, Hayden decided to re-enlist. He was assigned to the 10th Cavalry at
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
where his role was taking care and training the horses that the cadets learned to ride on. At this time, he also enrolled into a correspondence drawing course, on which he spent $10 of the $18 he made monthly. After he was discharged from the army, he relocated to
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
, a neighborhood located in lower
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
within
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. During the pursuit of his developing art career, he worked as a postal clerk,
janitor A janitor (American English, Scottish English), also known as a custodian, porter, cleanser, cleaner or caretaker, is a person who cleans and maintains buildings. In some cases, they will also carry out maintenance and security duties. A simil ...
, and a variety of other part-time jobs in order to provide for himself. This period of his life was difficult, but was nevertheless worthwhile as Hayden became a prolific
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
artist of his era.


Artistic beginnings and Parisian travels

Hayden pursued artistic professionalism by studying
charcoal drawing Artists' charcoal is charcoal used as a dry art medium. Both compressed charcoal (held together by a gum or wax binder) and charcoal sticks (wooden sticks burned in a kiln without air) are used. The marks it leaves behind on paper are much less ...
at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
as he simultaneously worked nights at the post office. When Hayden decided his post office job took up too much of his time, he quit and began janitorial services in various apartment buildings throughout New York City. Coincidentally, the first tenant he worked for was Victor Perard, an artist and art instructor at the
Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique ...
, previously called the Cooper Institute. Hayden was hired to clean Perard's studio and was encouraged to continue to develop his art. In 1925, Hayden had an incredible opportunity to study under Perard at the Cooper Union in New York City. In the same year, he traveled to Maine to study at Boothbay art colony. A chance encounter with Alice Dike, a woman for whom he was moving furniture, led to the discussion of art and his experience as an artist. Compelled by his cause, Dike provided him with a brochure from her church broadcasting The Harmon Foundation's '' Award for Distinguished Achievement'', which encouraged individuals to participate and enter their pieces. Hayden decided to enter and in 1926, he won a sum of money and a gold medal for his painting
Schooners
' after being recognized as the recipient of the ''Distinguished Achievement in Visual Arts'' in the Harmon Foundation's first awards ceremony. In response to this honor, a ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' headline crudely glorified him, stating ''“Negro Worker Wins Harmon Art Prizes: Gold Medal and $400 Awarded to Man who Washes Windows to Have Time to Paint"'', suggesting his employment and race were defining factors of his craft as opposed to his extensive efforts. While racially involved themes were not quite yet prominent concepts in Hayden's work, The Harmon Foundation's white founder William E. Harmon was nonetheless making a blatant social statement by publicly praising art created by an African-American man from a struggling background. The award is additionally credited for launching his career as an artist because of how prestigious of an accomplishment it was seen for anyone, but especially for a simple janitor. Hayden's success with The Harmon Foundation allowed the existence of his premier solo show in April 1926 at the Civic Club. Following his achievements, Hayden combined accumulated funds, as well as his trophy money from The Harmon Foundation and a gracious gift of $3,000 from Dike, to travel to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
for five years, where he found further inspiration for his art. He did not enroll in art school there but rather learned from experience. Hayden captured not onl
Parisian
society, but also the integration of
Afro-European Black Europeans of African ancestry, or Afro-Europeans, refers to people in Europe who trace full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. European Union In the European Union (EU) as of 2019, there is a record of approximately 9,6 milli ...
into the upscale environment. He was mentored for a short while by an artist named Clivette Le Fevre, but ultimately, the relationship ended because of Le Fevre's disbelief in Hayden's talents. Hayden's years in Paris, as well as his arguably primitive style, is particularly evident in the 1930 piece
Nous Quatre a Paris
', which portrays four black men in a cafe, drawn with stereotypically large lips and cartoonish facial features to emphasize characteristically black features that were shunned and often seen as revolting, as a result of the discourse from white beauty. While in France, Hayden did not remain stationed in Paris and also traveled to the coasts in order to continue painting landscapes and seascapes. He was particularly fond of
Concarneau Concarneau (, meaning ''Bay of Cornouaille'') is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Concarneau is bordered to the west by the Baie de La Forêt. The town has two distinct areas: the modern town on the ...
, a small village primarily sustained by fishermen, and painted several scenes of the town, one of which being
Concarneau - Andrée de la Mer
'. He also visited several museums and a variety of exhibits, such as the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...
, and found inspiration within its walls. Hayden became acquainted with
philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
Alain Locke Alain LeRoy Locke (September 13, 1885 – June 9, 1954) was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. Distinguished in 1907 as the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, Locke became known as the philosophical architect ...
, who showed him
African art African art describes the modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual culture from native or indigenous Africans and the African continent. The definition may also include the art of the African diasporas, such ...
he had collected from his extensive travels. Hayden's admiration for African art led him to paintings depicting African designs, patterns, and forms, such as
Fetiche et Fleurs
' in 1933. He was also fascinated by the establishment of
colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...
Northern African towns and sketched what he saw in museums and exhibits.


Return, racial commentary and stylistics

After five years abroad, traveling with funds borrowed from the American Aid Society of Paris, a non-profit organization meant to support Americans abroad, Hayden decided to return to the United States on August 11, 1932. He remained in New York City, where he had lived before going abroad, and upon his return, he became a
Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
artist with an impressive salary of about $30 weekly. In contrast to his active involvement with African culture and racism abroad, Hayden painted mostly buildings and landscapes at this time. In his free time, he continued with oil and watercolor paintings, but also dabbled in pen and ink drawings. His artwork is most notable for depicting African-American life during the Harlem Renaissance, as well as racial conflicts/obstacles, perceptions of racism, and African folklore. His paintings have been described by some critics as primitive and demeaning for depicting
xenophobic Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
stereotypes of African Americans Stereotypes of African Americans are misleading beliefs about the culture of people of African descent who reside in the United States, largely connected to the racism and discrimination which African Americans are subjected to. These beliefs ...
by exaggerating bosoms, lips, and nostrils and portraying the mass consumption of
watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varie ...
and other foods associated with black racism, such as in
The Watermelon Race
'. Other art historians find some of the earliest indications of black
empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...
in Hayden's work for his ownership and embracement of defining stereotypes that he regurgitated at critics through their exaggerated impact. A great number of his paintings following his years in Paris were associated with the Harlem Renaissance and black urban life in the city. However, while depictions of African-American life are what he is most remembered for, they are not his sole claim to fame; Hayden's career began with
landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...
portrayal and this continued simultaneously alongside his racially influenced art, with nature originally more prominent than the depictions of African-American life. A particular interest of his was
seascape A seascape is a photograph, painting, or other work of art which depicts the sea, in other words an example of marine art. The word originated as a formation from landscape, which was first used of images of land in art. By a similar dev ...
s and life in bustling harbors, as it had been in his
adolescence Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the ...
. These particular scenes often held a religious significance for him, which was not further elaborated on by Hayden. Additionally, as his comfort within the artistic community grew, he offered a political voice in his paintings, and in 1935, he depicted
The Execution of NIRA
', which referenced the Supreme Court's refusal of the
National Industrial Recovery Act The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA) was a US labor law and consumer law passed by the 73rd US Congress to authorize the president to regulate industry for fair wages and prices that would stimulate economic recovery. It also ...
on the grounds of unconstitutionality. Hayden branching out artistically became more evident as his work became more outspoken and experimental. One of Hayden's most prolific works came in 1937, when he created the iconic alleged narrative
The Janitor Who Paints
'. This painting, labeled a protest painting à la ''The Execution of NIRA'', was thought by critics to be a personal commentary on Hayden's sentiments regarding the assorted, meagerly paid early jobs he had to take in order to survive that he was criticized for in the press. Despite his success and popularity not only in America, but also in Europe, Hayden was still regarded by some as an lowly janitor who had little to no artistic training and worth. In this painting, an African-American woman, man, and child are depicted in a crowded area which is made even more stifled by a canvas, cleaning supplies, and simple home decoration. All three are shown with thick, prominent lips, characteristic of caricatures of African people, and in the first draft, a bold portrait of
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
was hung on the wall. The title of the painting, as well as the contrast of cleaning supplies and art material, imply a balance, such as the one that existed in Hayden's own life before he was recognized for his work. Inevitably, Hayden was scrutinized by both the black and white community as problematic for seemingly endorsing negative stereotypes in this painting as well.


The aged Hayden

Ten years after his initial visit in 1926, Hayden returned to Paris briefly; little else is known about this visit. He was back in New York within a year and at the age of 50, he married Miriam Huffman. He decided in 1944 to begin a new project, which resulted in a three-year effort that culminated his most fulfilling works: The John Henry series. The idea was rooted in a legend he had been told in childhood by his father and he took to researching the legitimacy of the folktale, drawing inspiration to integrate into his art. Any other explanations for why Hayden felt so strongly about John Henry and the series as a whole are unclear and unspecified, but are most likely linked to his proud ties to the African-American community. In his elder years, Hayden continued to be active with his art, regularly being selected for prestigious awards and traveling between Paris and the United States to fuel his inspiration. Racism remained a relevant topic in his life and art, leading him to publicly speak out against racist policies hindering the African-American and
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
communities. An example of this was seen in 1966, when Hayden wrote to William Booth, the Chairman of the City Commission on Human Rights, regarding the advocacy for an equal number of African Americans, Latinos, and white people on the board to prevent mistreatment fueled by prejudice and power. Hayden died on February 18, 1973, shortly after receiving a grant to depict Negro soldiers between the world wars.


Works


The Janitor Who Paints
original, oil on canvas, 1937
The Janitor Who Paints
revised, oil on canvas, Smithsonian, ca. 1937
Fetiche et Fleurs
oil on canvas, 1926
Nous quatre a Paris
watercolor, 1930
Midsummer Night in Harlem
oil on canvas, 1936


Notes


References

* Hanks, Eric

2002. ''International Review of African American Art'', Volume 16, Number 1, pp. 30–42. * Riggs, Thomas
"Palmer Hayden, Harlem Renaissance Artist and Beyond"
1997. The African American Registry.

2003. Drop Me Off in Harlem, exploring the intersections. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. * "Palmer Hayden"

10/12/06.

2002. Palmer Hayden. Education Broadcasting Corporation. * Wintz, Cary D. & Finkelman, Paul (2004). ''Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance''. Volume 1. Routledge, *Sakrani, Rehmat
"Palmer Hayden, Painter
City, A. (n.d.).


External links

*
Palmer C. Hayden papers online at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, Palmer African folklore 1890 births 1973 deaths Painters from Virginia Cooper Union alumni People from Stafford County, Virginia 20th-century American painters American male painters African-American painters