Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Harding Black Papers, 1934-1979, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.blachard
Creators:
Black, Harding, 1912-
Dates:
1934-1979
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.4 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of ceramicist Harding Black measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1934 to 1979. The scattered papers include a transcript of an oral history, correspondence, financial notes and records, printed materials, and photographs.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of ceramicist Harding Black measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1934 to 1979. The scattered papers include a transcript of an oral history, correspondence, financial notes and records, printed materials, and photographs.
A transcript of an oral history was sponsored by the Bexar County Historical Commission of Harding Black by Mary Fenstermaker and dates from 1979. Correspondence is scattered and includes letters from friends and colleagues from 1950 to 1951. Printed materials consist of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs. Photographs depict Harding Black, Black with others, an expedition to Reagan Canyon in 1934, and his studio and works of art.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection, the papers are arranged as one series.
  • Series 1: Harding Black papers, 1934-1979 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Harding Black (1912-2004) was a studio ceramicist who worked in Texas.
Harding Black was born in 1912 in Aransas Pass, Texas. An excavation of Native American burial mounds sparked his interest in ceramics. He started a ceramics studio near the Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas where he taught children's classes. In the 1930s, he was active with the Works Progress Administration. Later in life, Black exhibited his works. He did extensive research and experimentation with glaze. Harding Black died in 2004 of respiratory failure.

Administration

Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection is available on 35mm microfilm reels 2245 and 2250 as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project. The reels are only available through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material in the container inventory does not reflect the order of the material on microfilm.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Harding Black donated his papers to the Archives of American Art in 1980.
Processing Information
The Harding Black papers were arranged upon receipt and microfilmed onto reels 2245 and 2250 as part of the Archives of American Art Texas Project. The collection was processed with a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2018.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Harding Black Papers, 1934-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
Baylor University in Waco, Texas holds the Harding Black collection, Inclusive: 1910-2014, undated, Bulk: 1954-1998, undated. The papers consist of personal papers including notes on glazing and firing notebooks.

Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions