Edwin Augustus Harleston Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Edwin Augustus Harleston Art Value Price Guide

Jan. 11, 2024
Edwin Augustus Harleston
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
(American, 1882-1931) Lady in Black, not visibly signed, oil on canvas, 22-1/4 x 18-1/4 in.; modern wood frame, 28-1/4 x 24-1/4 in. Provenance: Purchased from the artist by the consignor's mother; From a Prominent Charleston, South Carolina Family Note: Harleston was a graduate of Avery Normal Institute in Charleston, Atlanta University, and received his art training at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Despite his artistic talent and prestigious training, as an African American, Harleston was banned from entering many of Charleston's cultural sites and was shunned by the city's white, art community. Nevertheless, his work received national attention and by the mid 1920s Harleston was offered exhibition opportunities and commissions from patrons in Atlanta, Boston, Washington D.C., and New York. The Gibbes Museum of Art currently owns six works by Harleston, including his renowned Portrait of Aaron Douglas.(Gibbes Museum of Art: https://www.gibbesmuseum.org/news/artist-spotlight-edwin-harleston-american-1882-1931/ ) Edwin A. "Teddy" Harleston was also a community activist in Charleston, South Carolina. A member of Plymouth Congregational Church, he founded the Charleston chapter of the NAACP in 1917 and served as first president of the organization. His father, Captain Edwin G. Harleston (1854-1931), opened Harleston Funeral Home in 1917, and the duo ran this business until their deaths in 1931. Note: The great niece of the artist, Mae Whitlock Gentry is in the process of publishing a catalog raisonne of the artists work. She has requested the use of this image in the publication. The above painting is included in archival slides inherited from the artist’s niece, Edwina Harleston Whitlock. Please see detail images
Brunk Auctions
May. 19, 2023
Edwin Augustus Harleston
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
(American/South Carolina, 1882-1931) Sketch of David after Antonin Mercie sculpture, signed lower edge "E A Harleston", charcoal on paper, site 24 x 12 in.; modern frame, 35-1/2 x 22-3/4 in. See lot 505 for the bronze by Antonin Mercie. Literature: “Edwin Harleston ”: The Johnson Collection, LLC, thejohnsoncollection.org/edwin-harleston/. Accessed 12 Apr. 2023. Constantly constrained by both racial barriers and family duty, Edwin Augustus Harleston, who was once described by W. E. B. Du Bois as the “leading portrait painter of the race,” was never able to fully devote himself to his art. Born in Charleston, South Carolina to a prosperous African American family, “Teddy” Harleston graduated as valedictorian from the Avery Normal Institute, the first accredited secondary school for African Americans in the area. He went on to attend Atlanta University, where he studied under Du Bois, a renowned scholar and future co-founder of the NAACP. His enduring relationship with Du Bois fueled Harleston's academic ambitions and political activism. Determined to rise to his mentor's challenge to the “talented tenth,” Harleston “took seriously his moral obligation to serve as a guide for [his] race” and would later serve as the first president of the Charleston chapter of the NAACP in 1917. Following his college graduation, Harleston enrolled at the prestigious School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, foregoing his admission to Harvard. Over his six-year tenure in Boston, his instructors included Frank Benson and Edmund Tarbell; in 1924 and 1925, Harleston was a summer student at the Art Institute of Chicago. Despite his promising start as a professional artist in Boston, Harleston was pressured by his father to return to Charleston in 1912 and assume responsibilities with the family funeral home. The tension between family obligations and artistic passion pervaded Harleston's adult life. In 1920, he married Elise Forrest, who became a respected photographer. Two years later, the couple opened a photography studio—which included space for Edwin to paint—across the street from the Harleston Funeral Home. A first for the African American citizens of Charleston, the establishment sought “to furnish the people of this community who are interested in works of art with portraits, in the following media, oil painting, charcoal, pastel, and French crayons.” In the years that followed, Harleston met with modest success as a painter; racial prejudices and segregation prevented several high profile commissions from coming to fruition and derailed a planned 1926 exhibition of his work at the Charleston Museum. In response, Harleston turned his attention to painting working African Americans. In a 1923 letter to Elise, he explained his plan to carry on the legacy of Henry Ossawa Tanner by portraying African Americans “in our varied lives and types with the classic technique and the truth, not caricatures . . . to do the dignified portrait and take the picturesque composition of arrangements or scenes showing the thousand and one interests of our group in industry, religion, general social contact.” Harleston often used photographs taken by Elise as source material for his portraits. One example of this practice is Miss Bailey with the African Shawl, widely regarded as one of the artist's finest works. Sue Bailey, a New Yorker with extensive connections in Harlem's cultural community, was the national traveling secretary for the YWCA and, in that role, visited Charleston to establish a high school chapter for African-American girls. The three-quarter seated pose executed in strong color, reflects the artist's sure academic foundation and mastery of mood. Harleston was quite proud of the portrait and entered it in the 1931 Harmon Foundation juried exhibition. In addition to portrait commissions, Harleston also created paintings depicting many of the local figures—such as black street vendors—featured in works by other artists of the Charleston Renaissance era. In 1930, Aaron Douglas, one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance, invited Harleston to assist him in completing a mural commission at Fisk University in Nashville. Harleston readily accepted the younger painter's offer and spent several months working on the project alongside him. The unfinished murals form a backdrop to Harleston's 1930 portrait of Douglas, a departure from more typical neutral backgrounds seen in other portraits, like that of Miss Bailey. Edwin Harleston died from pneumonia at the age of forty-nine in Charleston. Today, his works are represented in the collections of the Gibbes Museum of Art, Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art, and the California African American Museum. Provenance: Private Collection, Washington, D. C.
Brunk Auctions
Nov. 19, 2022
Edwin Augustus Harleston, 1882-1931, Model in Blue
Est: $10,000 - $20,000
Edwin Augustus Harleston 1882-1931 Model in Blue c. 1912 oil on canvas 20 x 16 inches unsigned Provenance: the artist's niece, Edwina Harleston Whitlock, to Earl J. Hooks, Sr, thence by descent. Earl J. Hooks, Sr. was a professor of art at Fisk University in the 1970s, but maintained ties to Gary, Indiana, where he had previously taught and had a studio. Hooks met Edwina Harleston Whitlock in Gary. She was a school teacher and her husband was a publisher of a local Black newspaper (this is documented in a paper written by Hooks. He also mentions he documented their many meetings over the years in an audio file, location unknown).
Black Art Auction
Oct. 08, 2019
EDWIN A. HARLESTON (1882 - 1931) The Little Newsboy.
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
EDWIN A. HARLESTON (1882 - 1931) The Little Newsboy. Oil on linen canvas, circa 1925. 406x305 mm; 16x12 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Edwina Harleston Whitlock; thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: Edwin A. Harleston, Painter of an Era, 1882-1931, Your Heritage House, Detroit, MI, March 13 - June 20, 1983. This charming painting of a young boy is an excellent and very scarce example of the portraiture of Edwin A. Harleston. Harleston was a talented portrait artist working at the beginning of the 20th Century. He moved from his hometown Charleston, South Carolina to Boston in 1906 after completing his B.A. from Clark Atlanta University, and enrolled in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He was the only African American in his first-year class of 232 students. However, financial difficulties kept Harleston from completing his studies in Boston until 1912. Harleston's practice soon became intertwined with his family's history in Charleston. He painted while working in the family funeral business after returning to Charleston after World War I. In 1920, Harleston married Elise Forrest, a photographer, and two years later, they opened a joint studio--the first of its kind in Charleston. Harleston developed his reputation for portraiture, winning several prestigious commissions like the portrait of industrialist Pierre S. Du Pont in 1924. Edwin Harleston assisted Aaron Douglas in 1930 with the painting murals for Fisk University. In February 1931, Harleston learned that he had finally won a Harmon Foundation award; however, he died from pneumonia only three months later. The subject of this portrait was a delivery boy for the black-owned newspaper Charleston Messenger. The newspaper was published by the Rev. Daniel J. Jenkins (1862-1937), founder of the Jenkins Orphanage in Charleston and the husband of the artist's sister, Eloise. The Jenkins Orphanage also formed a marching band of young boys - the Jenkins Orphanage Band became famous, performing internationally and at the inaugural parades of Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft. Harleston's paintings are found today in the collections of the Gibbes Museum of Art and the Old Slave Mart Museum, both in Charleston, Fisk University, Howard University, Clark Atlanta University and Dr. Walter O. Evans, Savannah, GA. Ball pp. 83-89, 200-201; Reynolds/Wright p. 199.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 22, 2012
Edwin Harleston (American/Charleston, 1882-1931),
Est: $1,200 - $1,800
Edwin Harleston (American/Charleston, 1882-1931), "Portrait of a Man", oil on canvas, signed upper left, Charleston Renaissance Gallery label en verso, 25 in. x 22 in. unframed. Provenance: Steven Cabot Barnes Harvey (1949-1993) Collection of Southern Art. Illustrated: The Steven Harvey Collection of Southern Art, The Charleston Renaissance Gallery, 2005, p. 21."
Neal Auction Company
Feb. 16, 2012
EDWIN A. HARLESTON (1882 - 1931) Miss Bailey With the African Shawl.
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
EDWIN A. HARLESTON (1882 - 1931) Miss Bailey With the African Shawl. Oil on canvas, 1930. 762x660 mm; 30x26 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Edwina Harleston Whitlock; thence by descent to the current owner. Exhibited: Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists, the Harmon Foundation at the Art Center, New York, February 16 - 28, 1931; Edwin A. Harleston: Painter of an Era, 1882-1931, Your Heritage House Museum, Detroit, 1983, traveling exhibition; Against All Odds: African-American Artists and the Harmon Foundation, the Newark Museum, Newark, January 13 - April 15, 1990, traveling exhibition; Avery Research Center, Charleston, SC, 2006. Illustrated: Edward Ball, The Sweet Hell Inside, p. 3 (second section); Against All Odds: African-American Artists and the Harmon Foundation, the Newark Museum, Newark, pl. XL, p. 130. Edwin A. Harleston made his reputation as a talented portrait artist in the early 20th century. He was one of the few African-American artists of the period to benefit from an elite university education. He moved from Charleston to Boston in 1906 upon his acceptance as a junior at Harvard University, after completing his B.A. from Clark Atlanta University. But he soon decided to pursue his love of drawing and painting instead, and enrolled in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He was the only African American in his first-year class of 232 students. However, financial difficulties kept Harleston from completing his studies in Boston until 1912. Harleston painted while working in the family funeral business after returning to Charleston after World War I. In 1920, Harleston married Elise Forrest, a photographer, and two years later, they opened a studio--the first of its kind in Charleston. Harleston developed his reputation for portraiture, winning several prestigious commissions like the portrait of industrialist Pierre S. Du Pont in 1924. At the request of Aaron Douglas, he assisted in painting murals for Fisk University in 1930. Edward Ball's chronicle of the Harleston family, The Sweet Hell Inside, describes how an attractive, young New Yorker, Sue Bailey, then an adminstrator for the YWCA, who later became the wife of prominent black theologian Howard Thurman, came to visit the Harlestons while in Charleston on business. According to Ball, "Teddy" asked her if he could paint her portrait, and his wife Elise photographed her--both images are reproduced in The Sweet Hell Inside. This portrait was one of his last paintings. In February 1931, Harleston learned that he had finally won a Harmon Foundation award; however, he died from pneumonia only three months later. Harleston's paintings are found in the collections of the Gibbes Museum of Art and the Old Slave Mart Museum, both in Charleston, Fisk University, Howard University, Clark Atlanta University and Dr. Walter O. Evans, Savannah, GA. Ball pp. 282 -283; Botsch, African-Americans and South Carolina: History, Politics, and Culture (online); Reynolds/Wright p. 199.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 17, 2009
EDWIN A. HARLESTON (1882 - 1931) Servant and Child.
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
EDWIN A. HARLESTON (1882 - 1931) Servant and Child. Pen and ink on cream wove paper. 315x202 mm; 12 1/2x8 inches (sheet). Initialed in ink, lower right. Provenance: the artist; Edwina Harleston Whitlock; thence by descent to the current owner, Atlanta, GA. This undated drawing is very scarce - a pen and ink sketch that was found pasted inside a family photograph album. Harleston is known for his realistic portraits of working African Americans and their life in the early 20th century. He painted portraits while working in the family funeral business after returning to Charleston from his World War I military service. In 1920, Harleston married Elise Forrest, a photographer, and two years later, they opened a studio - the first of its kind in Charleston. Harleston developed his reputation for portraiture, winning several prestigious commissions. At the request of Aaron Douglas, he assisted in painting murals for Fisk University in 1930. In February of 1931, Harleston learned that he had finally won a Harmon Foundation award; he died from pneumonia only three months later. Harleston's paintings are found in the collections of The Gibbes Museum of Art and the Old Slave Mart Museum, both in Charleston, Fisk University, Howard University, Clark Atlanta University and Dr. Walter O. Evans, Savannah, GA.
Swann Auction Galleries
Feb. 17, 2009
EDWIN A. HARLESTON (1882 - 1931) Seated Nude.
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
EDWIN A. HARLESTON (1882 - 1931) Seated Nude. Charcoal drawing on cream laid paper, 1909. 610x330 mm; 24x13 inches. L. Berville (France) watermark. Initialed and dated in charcoal, lower right. Time stain, scattered spotting and wear. Provenance: the artist; Edwina Harleston Whitlock; thence by descent to the current owner, Atlanta, GA. This drawing is the only known surviving work from his studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Early 20th century portrait painter, Edwin A. Harleston was one of the few African-American artists of the period to benefit from an elite university education. He moved to Boston in 1906 after being accepted as a junior at Harvard University, transfering there from Atlanta University. But he soon decided to pursue his love of drawing and painting instead, and enrolled in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. He was the only African-American in a first year class of 232 students. Financial difficulties forced Harleston to drop out in 1907. He found a job working on a cargo ship that traveled between Boston and Canada, and earned enough money to return to school in 1908. In 1911, on the recommendation of his professors, Harleston received a scholarship in order for him to complete his studies. By the end of 1912, he left Boston and returned to Charleston. Botsch, African-Americans and South Carolina: History, Politics, and Culture.
Swann Auction Galleries
Apr. 19, 2003
EDWIN AUGUSTUS HARLESTON
Est: $800 - $1,000
(American, 1882-1931) AMERICAN BEAUTY. Oil on board of young black boy holding red rose to nose. Boy wears black outfit with hat. Well rendered painting by one of America’s black artists. Housed in a reproduction frame. SIZE: 10-1/2" x 8". CONDITION: Corners of board missing paint, otherwise very good. 9-93904.
James D. Julia