Archives of American Art

Charles C. Dawson papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.dawschar
Creators:
Dawson, Charles C., b. 1889
Dates:
1910-1980
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2 Microfilm reels
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This microfilm collection of the papers of African American artist and museum curator Charles C. Dawson dates from 1910 to 1980. It includes biographical material; a 536 page draft of an autobiography; and correspondence. Correspondence includes United States Infantry correspondence and records, 1912-1923; general correspondence, 1917-1980; correspondence and financial records dealing with Dawson's book ABCs of Great Negroes, 1932-1945; and drafts and fragments of letters written by Dawson. Also included in the collection are miscellaneous business and financial records; writings and notes, including rough drafts, notes, and typescripts; printed material inclduing news releases, newsletters, program notices, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous published items; and photographs of Dawson, his family, friends, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Charles C. Dawson (1889-1981) was an African American painter, printmaker, and illustrator in Chicago, Illinois. He studied at the Tuskegee Institute, the Art Students League of New York, and at the Art Institute of Chicago and chronicled experiences as an art student in his unpublished autobiography. From 1919 to 1922 he worked for Chicago Engravers before leaving the firm to work as a freelance artist. Dawson also curated museum exhibitions to promote the work of other African American artists. He worked as the curator of the Museum of Negro Art and Culture and the George Washington Carver Museum from 1944 to 1951. In 1933 Dawson published a children's book, ABCs of Great Negroes which featured linoleum prints of 26 major figures in Black history.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reels 4191-4192 available at all Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in the possession of DuSable Museum of African-American History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Lent for microfilming by the DuSable Museum of African American History, Chicago, Illinois, 1988.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art -- Illinois -- Chicago Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum curators Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American military personnel Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American art museum curators Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tuskegee Institute Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum of Negro Art and Culture Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
George Washington Carver Museum (Tuskegee, Ala.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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