The Beauford Delaney Papers consist of the artists’ personal and professional papers from the 1900s through the 1970s. This includes correspondence with colleagues, friends and family; photographs of Beauford and others; sketchbooks and notebooks; loose sketches and other artworks; exhibition materials; and printed material collected by Delaney. The bulk of the collection consists of materials collected and created during Beauford’s time in Paris, where he lived from 1953 until his death in 1979. There are also significant materials from his years in New York (1929-1953), and to alesser extent, Boston (1923-1929), where he moved at the age of 21 from Knoxville.

The collection is grouped into ten series based on the format and content of the material. In order, these series are: Biographical Records (1952-1981, undated), Correspondence (1931-1991, undated), Photographic Material (1909-1979, undated), Artwork (undated), Journals and Sketchbooks (1929-1979, undated), and Exhibition Records (1929-1979). The last two series (Printed Material and Artifacts) will be made accessible at a later point.

Much of the materials in the first eight series are described at an individual item level. The language of the materials is noted, with most documents written in English and French.

I. Biographical Material (1952-1981, undated) Delaney’s biographical material is arranged into three subseries: Financial Documents (1953-1974), Medical Documents (1962-1981, undated), and Personal Documents (1952-1975, undated). Financial documents include bank statements, contracts, checks, money orders, utility bills, and receipts. Medical Documents include health records and doctor’s notes. Personal Documents include travel documents, residential applications, and receipts. All materials in each of the subseries are described at an item level.

II. Correspondence (1931-1991, undated) This series consists of family, personal, and business correspondence, contact information, and notes. It is arranged into five subseries: Correspondence with the Delaney Family (1931-1979, undated); Identified Correspondence (1941-1991, undated); Partially Identified Correspondence (1954-1970, undated); Unidentified Correspondence (1953-1975, undated); and Contact Cards and Notes (undated).

The Correspondence with the Delaney Family (1931-1991) subseries contains letters and notes to either Beauford or his brother Joseph, from their mother, Delia, their brother, Samuel Emery Delaney (referred as Emery); Emery’s children, Lois Imogene (referred to as Imogene), Ogust Mae, and Samuel Emery, Jr. (referred to as Emery or Junior) and his wife Gertrude; and their grandnephew Michael “Mike” Delaney (son of Ogust). It is arranged by sender, with communications to and from Joseph filed at the end of that correspondent’s letters to and from Beauford. The items are described at the item level, including an abstract of the subject matter discussed.

Identified Correspondence contains written communication between Beauford Delaney and friends and acquaintances, including significant figures in Delaney’s personal and professional life. Frequent correspondents include James Baldwin, Ahmed Bioud, Charles Boggs, Larry Calcagno, Michael Freilich, Miriam and Palmer Hayden, Al Hirschfeld, Richard Long, Henry Miller, and Darthea Speyer. The series is arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent and then by date. Letters from Beauford are included with that correspondents’ letters to Beauford. Partially Identified Correspondence consists of letters and other written communications (mostly to Beauford Delaney), where the name of the sender is only partially known or identified. Unidentified Correspondence consists of letters where the name of the sender is completely unknown. It is described only at the folder level and is arranged by date.

The last Correspondence subseries, Contact Cards and Notes, is described at the folder level and contains printed contact cards and assorted papers with handwritten names and addresses, as well as notes by Beauford (and sometimes others). The notes range from scribbles, lists, and lyrics to paragraphs of the artist’s written observations. The content is very similar to the writing found within notebooks and sketchbooks in the fifth series described below. In this subseries, the notes may be on any kind of paper, including envelopes, newspaper, and advertising and packaging materials (such as flattened cigarette packs). This last subseries in Correspondence is arranged and described by format only and not at the item level. Most of the materials are in English. Some of the materials are in French, as noted.

III. Photographic Material (1909-1979 and undated) Photographic Material includes photographs of Beauford Delaney and his friends and family; assorted candid photographs; and photographs of Delaney’s exhibitions, art shows, and sales. Some family and individuals in photographs are identified by name, such as Henry Miller, Charles Boggs, and James Baldwin. Subjects of other photographs remain unidentified. The photographs are arranged into ten subseries: 1900s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Identification Photos (1910-1979), Artwork (1919-1979), and Oversize Photographic Material (1919-1979). The contents of all subseries are described at an item level. The first seven subseries are by decade (1900s through 1970s) and are further arranged by mostly inferred dates. Identification Photos consists of photographs of Delaney (and in one instance, Baldwin) meant for passports or other official forms of identification. Artwork includes photographs of paintings, sketches, and sculptures. Near-duplicates of photographs have also been itemized. Much of the artwork photographed is by other artists. None of the materials are dated. Oversize Photographic Materials includes larger photographic portraits and images of biographical records and artwork.

IV. Artwork (1929-1979) This fourth series consists of nearly 300 individual pieces of art such as sketches, landscapes, abstractions, portraits, and figure drawings in a variety of mediums, including graphite, ink, oil pastel, and watercolor. While they are mostly created (or assumed to be created) Beauford Delaney, there are also a few created by others (including Charles Boggs, Henry Miller, Don Freeman, and others, as noted). Sizes of work range from 2.25 x 3.5 inches to 19.5 x 22 inches. The artwork is undated, and the date range given for the series is purposefully wide. While the artworks within this series are not arranged in any particular order, they are numbered and described at an item level.

V. Journals and Sketchbooks (1929-1979) This fifth series contains 58 of Beauford Delaney’s journals and sketchbooks. These books were used for both sketches and handwritten text, and journals and sketchbooks mostly describe contents within each of the books. The sketches include landscapes, abstractions, portraits, and figure drawings in graphite, ink, oil pastel, and watercolor. Some of the sketches may be identified as preliminary versions of Delaney’s later works. The notes here include diary entries, daily musings, song lyrics and mediations, contact information or event times and locations. There is no known order within the pages: where text and sketches appear may be due only to time and convenience. Many pages are blank. The materials are described at the book level, with a note about the contents of each. For preservation purposes, the physical collection is arranged by size of book.

VI. Exhibition Records (1930-1979) Exhibition Records include announcements, invitations, brochures, catalogs, and artists’ statements for exhibits featuring the artwork of Delaney or other artists. These are arranged and described at the item level. Many of the materials are in French, as noted. The series is further arranged into three subseries: Beauford Delaney Exhibitions (1930-1973, undated), Other Artists’ Solo Exhibitions (1954-1978, undated), and Other Artists’ Group Exhibitions (1947-1973, undated). Beauford Delaney Exhibitions consists of announcements, invitations, brochures, catalogs from Delaney’s solo and then group exhibitions, as well as biographical material submitted or provided as part of his involvement. Other Artists’ Solo Exhibitions consists of announcements, invitations, brochures, and catalogs from solo exhibitions of works from other artists, including Charles Boggs, Edward Degas, Henry Miller, and Jackson Pollock. It is arranged in alphabetical order by artist I. Other Artists’ Group Exhibitions consist of announcements, invitations, brochures, and catalogs from group exhibitions. It is arranged by name of the gallery or other hosting institution, and in alphabetical order.

The Printed Material and Ephemera and Artifacts series will be added to the finding aid at a later date.