Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Allen, James L. (James Latimer), 1907-1977
2. Van Der Zee, James, 1886-1983
3. M. Smith (New York, N.Y.), photographer.
4. Renoir Studios (New York, N.Y.), photographer.
5. Whiteley-Broady (New York, N.Y.), photographer.

Description

1. 3 scrapbooks (330 items); 31 x 41 cm (each)

Summary

1. Photographs, published illustrations and advertisements, and artwork representing the career of professional model Maurice Hunter, from the 1920s to the early 1960s, that were collected and assembled in scrapbooks, probably by Hunter. The contents, which focus primarily on the period from the mid-1920s to the early 1940s, consist of photographic studio portraits, some of which may have been used for publicity purposes; photographic reproductions of paintings and sculptures Hunter had posed for; art portraits of Hunter, many from life drawing classes, produced as drawings, watercolors and etchings; and magazine covers, illustrations and advertisements. Also included are magazine and newspaper articles about Hunter; various forms of correspondence; printed programs and announcements; and posters. Depictions of Hunter posing for life drawing classes and exhibitions of his modeling work are limited.
2. Of note are full and quarter-length photographic studio portraits of Hunter wearing turbans, costumed in Middle Eastern and African attire, and in silhouetted nude poses; press clippings and announcements of Hunter's pantomime performances recreating his modeling roles; and a candid shot of librarian Regina Andrews next to a display case of Hunter's modeling work at the Inquiry Desk of the New York Public Library (1940).

Subject

1. Scrapbooks > 1960-1969
2. Ephemera
3. Clippings > 1920-1969
4. Advertisements > 1930-1949
5. Periodical illustrations > 1920-1949
6. Magazine covers > 1920-1939
7. Portrait drawings > 1920-1969
8. Gelatin silver prints > 1920-1969
9. Portrait photographs > 1920-1949
10. Art reproductions > 1920-1969
11. Correspondence > 1920-1939
12. Male models > United States
13. African American models
14. Hunter, Maurice, -1966

Genre/Form

1. Art reproductions – 1920-1969.
2. Portrait photographs – 1920-1949.
3. Gelatin silver prints – 1920-1969.
4. Portrait drawings – 1920-1969.
5. Magazine covers – 1920-1939.
6. Periodical illustrations – 1920-1949.
7. Advertisements – 1930-1949.
8. Clippings – 1920-1969.
9. Ephemera.
10. Scrapbooks – 1960-1969.

Call number

1. Sc Photo Maurice Hunter Scrapbooks

Note

1. Title based on scrapbook contents.
2. Most photographs bear photographer's or photography studio's name on recto; some items bear photographer's blind stamp. Some original artwork bears artist's autograph or inscription on recto. Some items bear inscriptions; some items bear handwritten or printed captions on recto.
3. Some items are not mounted into scrapbooks. Scrapbooks are held by library bindings; bindings bear spine title "Maurice Hunter Negro Model."
4. Scrapbooks contain photographic work by James Latimer Allen, Morgan Smith and James VanDerZee, among others.

Terms of use (note)

1. Some items are under copyright; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.

Biography (note)

1. Maurice Hunter, born circa 1886, was a successful American fine art, photography and advertisement model from the 1910s to the 1960s. The origins of his birth, most notably his claim that he was originally named Cokas Kwaka, the son of a South African Zulu chieftain (though he may have been actually born in Dutch Guiana), are subject to debate. However, by the 1920s, Hunter had established himself in the United States as a familiar face whose likeness appeared on magazine covers, in print illustrations and advertisements, public murals and sculpture, product displays, and billboards. Hunter worked for such visual artists as Dean Cornwell, Norman Rockwell, Charles Dana Gibson and Robert Henri; and was employed by academic art programs, notably Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, for 25 years. In 1962, the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and History honored Hunter with an exhibition of his career. Hunter died in Harlem in 1966 at age 80.

Author

1. Hunter, Maurice, -1966, collector.

Title

1. Maurice Hunter scrapbooks.

Production

1. [1926?]-1966.

Type of content

1. still image

Type of medium

1. unmediated

Type of carrier

1. sheet

Terms of use

1. Some items are under copyright; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.

Biography

1. Maurice Hunter, born circa 1886, was a successful American fine art, photography and advertisement model from the 1910s to the 1960s. The origins of his birth, most notably his claim that he was originally named Cokas Kwaka, the son of a South African Zulu chieftain (though he may have been actually born in Dutch Guiana), are subject to debate. However, by the 1920s, Hunter had established himself in the United States as a familiar face whose likeness appeared on magazine covers, in print illustrations and advertisements, public murals and sculpture, product displays, and billboards. Hunter worked for such visual artists as Dean Cornwell, Norman Rockwell, Charles Dana Gibson and Robert Henri; and was employed by academic art programs, notably Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, for 25 years. In 1962, the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and History honored Hunter with an exhibition of his career. Hunter died in Harlem in 1966 at age 80.

Connect to:

1. Request Appointment
2. NYPL Digital Collections

Added author

1. Allen, James L. (James Latimer), 1907-1977, photographer.
2. Van Der Zee, James, 1886-1983, photographer.
3. M. Smith (New York, N.Y.), photographer.
4. Renoir Studios (New York, N.Y.), photographer.
5. Whiteley-Broady (New York, N.Y.), photographer.

Research call number

1. Sc Photo Maurice Hunter Scrapbooks