LANGSTON HUGHES PAPERS (Series XII-XXII)

Gift of Langston Hughes and bequest of the estate of Langston Hughes, ca. 1940-1967, with additions from other sources, ca. 1940-1980.

The Langston Hughes Papers are the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Langston Hughes Papers. James Weldon Johnson Collection in the Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

This collection is open for research.

Restricted Fragile material in boxes 639-643 may be consulted only with permission of the appropriate curator. Preservation photocopies or photographic prints for reference use have been substituted in the main files.

The first file contains descriptions and listings of Series I-IV. (Correspondence)

The second file contains description and listings of Series V-VII. (Writings)

The third file contains description and listings of Series VIII-XI. (Writings)

This fourth file contains description and listings of Series XII-XXII. (Other Papers)

This collection has undergone processing at several points over the past three decades. The processing project in 2000-2002 was intended to clarify problematic listings of materials and incorporate previously unprocessed materials, including some groups formerly classified as "printed" (such as newspaper clippings, postcards, and photographs). Due to the number of times the papers were rearranged, much of the original identification and arrangement of materials was lost, making it difficult to recreate associations (such as photographs that were once enclosed in letters to Hughes).

Several of the series included in this finding aid were inherited from these earlier processing projects. Therefore, a series such as "Personal Appearances", which would have been more logically broken into individual components (writings, printed ephemera, clippings, etc.) has been kept intact. Readers should be aware, however, that many other items that document Hughes' personal appearances can, indeed, be found in other series, such as Series XVII. Printed Ephemera. Some other materials, which may have been grouped together before by subject have been placed in appropriate series, so that, for example, one may find material documenting "Tambourines to Glory" in Series II, Professional Correspondence, Series II., Writings, Series XII, Photographs, and Series XXII, Graphic Materials.

Some small groups of materials, primarily letters, that were formerly included here, but which did not come from Langston Hughes' estate, have been cataloged separately. Some other materials from non-Hughes sources have been kept with the papers, since they would be extremely difficult to segregate. One other specific exception to provenance is the presence of items donated by Carl Van Vechten, since many of these were clearly intended for the Hughes papers by Hughes and arrived at Yale by way of Van Vechten.

Microfilm for several items available. Consult Public Services desk.

The Life of Langston Hughes has been written about in a wide range of biographies, which are available at many libraries. What follows is a brief timeline of important dates in his life.

1902: James Langston Hughes born February 1, in Joplin, Missouri, to Carrie Langston Hughes and James Nathaniel Hughes.

1902-1914: Lived in Mexico, Missouri, and Kansas for short periods with his mother and father, then, after they separated, with his grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas.

1914: Moved from Lawrence to join his mother and stepfather in Lincoln, Illinois.

1916: Elected class poet for grammar school graduation at Lincoln. Moved from Lincoln to Cleveland, Ohio.

1920: Chosen editor of Central High School Yearbook, Cleveland. Graduated from Central High School. Spent the year after graduation in Mexico with his father.

1921: Published juvenile poetry in The Brownie's Book. "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" published in The Crisis. Entered Columbia University in New York.

1922: Left Columbia to take assorted jobs in New York area.

1923-24: Employed as cook's helper on tramp steamer to Africa, Holland, and Europe. Employed as cook in Paris night club; stranded as a beachcomber in Genoa. Returned from Europe to live with his mother in Washington, D.C.

1925: Lived in Washington, D.C. Won first prize for poetry in Opportunity contest. Won second prize for essay and third prize for poetry in The Crisis contest. Carl Van Vechten introduced his poetry to Alfred Knopf.

1926: Entered Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Weary Blues published. Fire published. Won first prize in Witter Bynner Undergraduate Poetry Contest.

1927: Fine Clothes to the Jew published. Traveled in South.

1929: Graduated from Lincoln University.

1930: Not Without Laughter published. Won Harmon award for literature.

1931: Dear Lovely Death and The Negro Mother published. Traveled to Haiti and Cuba. Conducted poetry reading tour in the South and West.

1932: The Dream Keeper, Scottsboro Limited, and Popo and Fifina published.

1933: Returned to California from Russia by way of Japan. Spent year writing at Carmel by the Sea.

1934: Ways of White Folks published. Death of father in Mexico.

1935: Received Guggenheim Fellowship. Lived and worked in Mexico.

1937: Traveled to Spain as correspondent for Baltimore Afro- American. Death of mother.

1938: A New Song published. Founded Harlem Suitcase Theatre.

1939: Founded The New Negro Theater in Los Angeles.

1940: The Big Sea published.

1941: Received Rosenwald Fellowship.

1942: Shakespeare in Harlem published. Founded Skyloft P1ayers in Chicago.

1943: Freedom's Plow and Jim Crow's Last Stand published. Began Chicago Defender columns. Granted Hon. Litt. D. from Lincoln University.

1946: Elected to membership in National Institute of Arts and Letters.

1947: Fields of Wonder and translation of Jacques Roumain's Masters of the Dew published. Appointed Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Atlanta University.

1948: Translation of Nicolas Guillen's Cuba Libre published.

1949: Appointed Poet in Residence at the Laboratory School, University of Chicago. Troubled Island presented in New York.

1950: Simple Speaks His Mind and The Poetry of the Negro published. The Barrier presented in New York.

1951: Montage on a Dream Deferred and translation of Garcia Lorca's Romancero Gitano published.

1952: Laughing to Keep From Crying and First Book of Negroes published.

1953: Received Ainsfeld-Wolfe Award (Best book of year on race relations). Simple Takes a Wife published.

1954: Famous American Negroes and First Book of Rhythms published.

1955: Sweet Flypaper of Life, Famous Negro Music Makers, and First Book of Jazz published.

1956: I Wonder As I Wander, A Pictorial History of the Negro In America, and The First Book of the West Indies, published.

1957: Simple Stakes a Claim and Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral published. Simply Heavenly presented on Broadway.

1958: Famous Negro Heroes of America and The Book of Negro Folklore published.

1959: Selected Poems and Tambourines to Glory published.

1960: Received Spingarn Medal. African Treasury and The First Book of Africa published.

1961: Ask Your Mama and The Best of Simple published. Black Nativity presented in New York.

1962: Fight for Freedom published. Attended literary conference in Uganda and Nigeria. Began New York Post columns.

1963: Something in Common and Other Stories. Poems from Black Africa. Tambourines to Glory (play based on novel) presented on Broadway. Received Doctor of Letters degree from Howard University.

1964: New Negro Poets: U.S.A. edited. Jerico-Jim Crow presented in New York. Helped prepare BBC's The Negro in America series. Granted Hon. Litt. D. from Western Reserve.

1965: Simple's Uncle Sam published. The Prodigal Son presented in New York. Wrote script for WCBS-TV's Easter program. "It's a Mighty World". Lectured in America Houses in Europe for United States Information Agency.

1966: La Poesie Negro-Americaine, and The Book of Negro Humor edited.

1967: The Best Short Stories by Negro Writers, edited. The Panther and the Lash, Black Magic: A Pictorial History of the Negro in American Entertainment, with Milton Meltzer. Hughes died May 22, 1967.

[from Donald C. Dickinson's A Bio-Bibliography of Langston Hughes and James A. Emanuel's Langston Hughes]

The career of James Langston Hughes spanned five decades. He wrote poetry, short stories, plays, newspaper columns, children's books, and pictorial histories. He also edited several volumes of prose and fiction by Afro-American and African writers. Through his writing and through his extensive travels and lecture tours he came into direct contact with an amazing array of writers, artists, activists, and performers. The papers span the years 1862-1980.

The papers are housed in 643 boxes and are arranged in 22 series: Personal Correspondence, Professional Correspondence, Family Correspondence, Third Party Correspondence, General Writings, Poems, Song Lyrics, Newspaper Columns, Translations by Langston Hughes, Printed Appearances of Hughes's Writings, Writings of Others, Photographs, Public Appearances, Personal Papers, Family Papers, Financial and Legal Papers, Printed Ephemera, Clippings, Periodicals and Pamphlets collected by Hughes, Materials Removed from Printed Items, World Festival of Negro Arts [Dakar], and Graphic Materials. Oversize materials are stored in boxes 588-638.

Series XII, Photographs, consists of 12 subseries. The first subseries contains Candid Portraits and Snapshots of Langston Hughes, The following subseries, Photographers' Portraits of Langston Hughes, features works by such artists as James Allen, Richard Avedon, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, and Edward Weston. The third subseries is a folder of photographs showing Langston Hughes in Paintings and Sculpture. Images of Hughes's family can be found in the next subseries.

The bulk of material in this series is found in the fifth subseries, Langston Hughes Chronology, which traces Hughes's life from 1902 through 1967, recording friends, school years, trips, lectures, and appearances. These images were received from Hughes's estate, but were originally filed among general images in the James Weldon Johnson Collection. They were reunited with Hughes's papers and arranged chronologically. Among the best-documented periods are Hughes's trips to Cuba and Haiti in 1931, his trip to the Soviet Union in 1932-33 (which includes many official news agency photos), the Spanish Civil War, and his European trips of the 1960s. A wide selection of photographs of People and Groups of People follow in the next subseries. Next are Productions of Works by Hughes, such as "Black Nativity," "Don't You Want to Be Free," and "Prodigal Son". Art Photographs contains works by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Griffith Davis, Roy De Carava, and Marian Palfi, among others. The remaining subseries are: Artworks (photographs documenting art in other media); Places; and Other Subjects (such as exhibitions about Hughes).

Series XIII, Public Appearances, is a chronological gathering of materials that document Hughes's frequent lectures and speaking engagements. As noted in Processing Notes, this series was arranged sometime in the past and contains materials that might otherwise have been classed in other series, but was kept in the existing order becasue of its value to researchers. This series, then, is not complete and many other items documenting Hughes's public appearances can also be found in most of the other series.

Series XIV, Personal Papers, is organized into 17 subseries which provide an eclectic view into Hughes's life. The subseries are arranged alphabetically and are: Addresses (on cards, in books and on lists); Bibliographical Material (which serve to document Hughes's publishing history); Engagement Books and Calendars; Journals (mostly from his early life, ca. 1920s-30s); Lists of Miscellaneous Subjects; Memos (which are principally jotted notes and desk reminders, but also include some other types of items, mainly from the 1920s and 1930s); Music Material; Notebooks; Notes (which appear to not be related directly to any specific work by Hughes); Objects (including a fraternity hat, a cigarette case from Carl Van Vechten, and a tambourine used in "Tambourines to Glory"); Project Files (mainly concerning committees and organizations); School Materials (documenting Hughes's education); Scrapbooks; Teaching Materials (Hughes as instructor); Transcripts of Interviews and Roundtables; Travel Documents; and Other Papers (such as an advertisement of Hughes for Smirnoff Vodka, membership and identity cards, rent party cards, and Hughes's will).

Series XV, Family Papers, is divided into 15 subseries, for members of Hughes's family, including Clark, Hughes, Langston, Miller and some general items. Material documenting his mother, Carolyn Clark, and father, James N. Hughes, include a marriage certificate, diaries, passports, and a will. Included here is a "baby letter" written by Langston Hughes to his aunt Carolyn Battle, ca. 1907, and a note regarding genealogy.

Series XVI, Financial and Legal Papers, is organized into 14 subseries for types of records: Checking accounts; Contracts; Copyright and Publication Registrations; Employee Records (persons working for Hughes); Expense Records (for shipping archives to Yale University); Financial Memos; Income Statements; Income Tax; Insurance; Invoices and Royalty Statements; Legal Documents; Loans; Receipts; and Stock.

Series XVII, Printed Ephemera, gathers together items such as theater programs, advertising cards, and flyers and is organized into 3 subseries. The first two are: About Langston Hughes (separated into general mentions and appearances); and About Hughes's Works. The last subseries concerns General Subjects, such as African topics, black subjects, humanitarian committees, newsletters and bulletins, performances (works not by Hughes), and publication announcements (also works not by Hughes).

Series XVIII, Clippings, follows the arrangement of Printed Ephemera, but includes several more subseries, totaling seven. In the subseries About Langston Hughes, general mentions and appearances are interfiled. A small group of Specific Topics involving Hughes follows. The next subseries is About Hughes's Works. The fourth subseries is about People, followed by General Arts ands General Subjects. The final subseries consists of Clippings from Isabella Brown. Brown, a long-time fan, whose many letters can be found in Series I, Personal Correspondence, sent Hughes hundreds of clippings and collages between 1950 and 1967, incorporating advertising and comic book images.

Series XIX, Periodicals and Pamphlets collected by Hughes, consists of issues of magazines which were not cataloged separately. These were retained in the archive to provide a snapshot of some of Hughes's reading interests.

Series XX, Materials Removed from Printed Items, is made up of items (such as publishers' cards) that were formerly inserted into printed works that have been cataloged separately.

Series XXI, World Festival of Negro Arts [Dakar], is an assortment of printed material collected by Hughes concerning this event, including official committee records and transcripts of speeches.

Series XXII, Graphic Materials, gathers together in nine subseries various image materials collected by Hughes. Among the Artwork Originals are works by such artists as Roy De Carava, Ted Joans, and Prentiss Taylor. Artworks by Langston Hughes are mainly pencil sketches and block cut prints. Images of Langston Hughes contains a painting by Amy Spingarn as well as various printed images of Hughes. Following a group of correspondence cards from the Spanish Civil War is a collection of Images of Famous Figures in African-American History, which were likely used in either Famous American Negroes or Pictorial History of the Negro in America. Two boxes of postcards record Hughes's travels around the world and also contain a group of humorous images of African Americans collected by Hughes. Many of the Posters are for productions of plays by Hughes or for appearances by Hughes, but also include boxing and bullfighting posters from Mexico and a series of posters for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, among others. The final two subseries are groups of printed images, mainly of people, and several printing blocks.

Oversize material is housed in boxes 588-638 and contains items from Series V, VI, VII, X, XII, XIV, XV, XVII, XVIII, and XXII. Restricted Fragile Papers (boxes 639-667) contains fragile originals for which preservation photocopies have been made for reference use and filed in the regular series run.