Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the John Brantley Wilder papers, 1937-circa 1979, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.wildjohb
Creators:
Wilder, John Brantley
Dates:
1937-circa 1979
Languages:
The collection is in English.
Physical Description:
1.5 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of painter, journalist, and civil rights activist John Brantley Wilder measure 1.5 linear feet and date from 1937 to circa 1979. The papers include correspondence; clippings; invoices; photographs; reproductions of some of Wilder's pen and ink sketches; as well as a scrapbook, which includes clippings, photographs, and printed material. Also included in the collection is a diorama representing a Sioux family.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of painter, journalist, and civil rights activist John Brantley Wilder measure 1.5 linear feet and date from 1937 to circa 1979. The papers include correspondence; invoices for paintings and materials; clippings of Wilder's articles and sketches that appeared in newspapers; a scrapbook of clippings, photographs, and printed materials; photographs and slides, primarily of artwork; and reproductions of Wilder's pen and ink sketches for the Philadelphia Tribune. The collection also includes a diorama representing a Sioux family. This is one of eighteen "Miniature Indian Dioramas" produced for the Works Progress Administration's Pennsylvania Museum Extension Project.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection, the papers are arranged as one series.
  • Series 1: John Brantley Wilder papers, 1937-circa 1979 (Boxes 1-2; 1.5 linear feet, OV 3)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
John Brantley Wilder (1909?-1990) was a painter, journalist, and civil rights activist. He worked for the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (later the Work Projects Administration, WPA) through the early 1940s and worked for the Philadelphia Tribune in a variety of capacities from the 1960s to the 1970s, including producing pen and ink sketches for Negro History Week, circa 1961. In addition to his art and journalism work, in the late 1940s Wilder led a campaign urging Hollywood to expand the portrayal of African Americans in film beyond maids and servants.

Administration

Author
Rayna Andrews
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated by John Brantley Wilder in 1979.
Processing Information
The collection was minimally processed and a finding aid prepared by Rayna Andrews in 2017 with funding from the Luce Foundation.

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
John Brantley Wilder papers, 1937-circa 1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Slides (photographs) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Journalists -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Civil rights workers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sioux Nation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Works Progress Administration Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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