<emph render="italic">Who's Who in American Art, The Negro In Art, </emph>

]> PUBLIC "-//The New York Public Library//TEXT (US::NN::Sc MG 40::Elton Fax Papers, 1930-1974)//ENG" "scmgfaxe.xml" Inventory of the Elton Fax Papers, 1930-1974 Processed by L. Lockhart; machine-readable finding aid created by Apex Data Services; revised by Terry Catapano.

Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, April 1999. Revised by Terry Catapano April 2000 Description is in English October 16, 2006 EAD v1.0 finding aid converted to EAD 2002 using UC Berkeley's eadv1to2002.pl perl script. Inventory of the Elton Fax Papers, 1930-1974 Sc MG 40 Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture The New York Public Library New York, New York Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. New York Public Library. 515 Malcolm X Boulevard New York, NY 10037-1801 (212) 491-2224 scmarbref@nypl.org http://nypl.org/research/sc/scm/marb.html Processed by: L. Lockhart Date Completed: April 1979 Encoded By: Apex Data Services; Terry Catapano

Preface

This inventory is one of several prepared as a part of the archival preservation program at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research division of The New York Public Library.

The Schomburg archival preservation program involves the organization and preservation of primary source material held by the Center and of significance to the study of the Black Experience. It furthermore includes the preparation of detailed inventories of these records, making the information contained therein accessible as well as available to scholars.

The necessary staff and supplies for this program were made available through a combination of Library, National Endowment for the Humanities grant, and State of New York grant funds.

Descriptive Summary Elton Fax Papers, 1930-1974 Sc MG 40 Fax, Elton 2 boxes. The New York Public Library Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture English Administrative Information Source

Presented by Elton Fax, New York in June 1972.

SCM77-71

Biography

Elton Fax was born in Baltimore on October 9, 1909. He began his career as an artist after graduating from the Syracuse University College of Fine Arts in 1931, and later became a writer as well. During his long career, Fax has taught at colleges and universities, lectured at schools and libraries throughout the world, and become well-known for his chalk-talks, lectures which he illustrates with drawings. From 1949 through 1956, he was a chalktalk artist for the New York Times Children's Book Program. A world traveller, Fax lived in Mexico in the 1950's, travelled to South America and the Caribbean as a chalk-talk artist for the U.S. Department of State Educational Exchange Program, and visited both Africa and the Soviet Union several times, including a visit to the Soviet Union as a guest of the Soviet Writers' Union in 1971.

As an artist, Fax has been responsible for the illustrations of over thirty books, and has also illustrated numerous magazine articles. Museums in New York, Baltimore, and Washington, D. C., have exhibited his work. His stature in the field is indicated by his inclusion in <emph render="italic">Who's Who in American Art, The Negro In Art, </emph>and <emph render="italic">The American Negro in Art.</emph>

Fax has also written widely, contributing several essays and articles to various publications. Most of these, as well as his books, have focused on his travels and on black history and culture. His first book, published in 1960, was <emph render="italic">West African Vignettes, </emph>sketches and commentary based upon his travels in that Part of the world. <emph render="italic">Contemporary Black Leaders </emph>(1970) was a series of fourteen illustrated profiles of prominent blacks. In 1972 Fax received the Coretta Scott King Award for <emph render="italic">Seventeen Black Artists </emph>(1971), which was also a collection of profiles. Fax went on to publish <emph render="italic">Garvey--Pioneer Black Nationalist, </emph>a biography, in 1972; <emph render="italic">Through Black Eyes: Journeys of a Black Artist to East Africa and Russia, </emph>in 1974; and <emph render="italic">Black Artists of the New Generation, </emph>in 1977. Another book, <emph render="italic">Hoshar, </emph>based upon Fax's 1978 trip to the Central Asian Republics of the U.S.S.R., will be published in Moscow in 1980.

Fax is married, and has one son and one daughter.

Scope and Content Note

The Elton Fax Papers, 1930-1974, consist of correspondence, writings, artwork, and printed material concerning Fax's career as a writer and artist. The writing and the artwork comprise by far the bulk of the collection; there is virtually no personal material. Aside from the handwritten and typewritten manuscript copies of <emph render="italic">Garvey, </emph>most of the material is printed. Except for the <emph render="italic">Garvey </emph>manuscript, arrangement throughout the collection is chronological. The papers have been divided into four series: Correspondence, Writings, Artwork, and Printed Material.

Series Descriptions/Container List 1 1 Correspondence, 1956-1965

The series is very small, consisting of only one small folder. The letters are mostly routine correspondence concerning Fax's trips to Africa and South America, the books which resulted from these trips, and lectures given in schools. Some of the letters, which concern his travels and lectures, are neither to nor from Fax. All the letters are photocopies.

Writings

The series includes full manuscripts of <emph render="italic">Garvey, </emph>in both handwritten and typewritten versions. In addition, there is a folder of miscellaneous writings composed of typescript essays and several printed articles on various subjects. This folder also contains an incomplete resume dated 1946. Newspaper articles have been photocopied.

<emph render="italic">Garvey </emph>Manuscript 1 2 Preface, Chapters 1-6 1 3 Chapters 7-13 1 4 Chapters 14-19 1 5 Chapters 20-24 <emph render="italic">Garvey </emph>Typescript 1 6 Forepages, Foreward, Preface, Chapters 1-7 1 7 Chapters 10-19 1 8 Chapters 20-24, Bibliography 2 1 Miscellaneous Writings, 1946-1974 2 2 Artwork, 1934-1962

ARTWORK, 1934-1962, is comprised of numerous samples of Fax's art, such as magazine illustrations and bookjackets. Additional material includes clippings of newspaper photographs of Fax's work and pamphlets designed by him. The clippings and magazine illustrations have been photocopied.

Printed Material

PRINTED MATERIAL, 1930-1974, includes material about Fax from a number of sources, a large proportion of which is biographical. The file consists of programs, invitations, broadsides, and clippings concerning Fax's career. Reviews of his books are also included. Clippings have been photocopied.

2 3 Programs and Invitations, 1933-1974 2 4 Miscellaneous Printed Material, 1949-1974 2 5 Clippings, 1930-1974 Separation Record

The following items were removed from the:

Elton Fax Papers SCM 77-71 .

Donor: Elton Fax

Date received: 6/1972

Date transferred: 1979, 1973

The item(s) listed below have been sent to the division indicated, either to be retained or disposed of there. Any items that should receive special disposition are clearly marked.

Art & Artifacts Division One pen and ink drawing (political cartoon), signed 1944 Photographs and Prints Division Eight photographs of Fax's artwork

Accessioned by: L. Lockhart

Date: 1977