Valerie Harris
Found! A Long-lost Painting By Laura Wheeler Waring
“Dear Ms. Harris, My mother moved to a senior facility prior to passing away in 2016. In downsizing, some of her pictures were moved into...
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VHarris Writes
Laura Wheeler Waring Biography Blog
Valerie Harris
- Mar 26
- 3 min
Sisters Abroad: Laura Wheeler Waring and Jessie Fauset, Paris, 1914
Although Laura was now in Paris independent of her Academy classmates, she was not alone for long. Visiting Paris at the time were two...
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Valerie Harris
- Mar 19
- 3 min
The First Time She Saw Paris... Laura Wheeler Waring, 1914
“Miss Laura Wheeler, a colored girl of Hartford, Conn., has been awarded a European Traveling Scholarship by the Pennsylvania Academy of...
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Valerie Harris
- Mar 5
- 4 min
"I did it! I've won!"
A major benefit of attending the Academy was the opportunity to compete for cash prizes and scholarships. There were several awards for...
20 views
Valerie Harris
- Feb 27
- 5 min
A "New Woman" at PAFA
The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1805 in Philadelphia at a time when the city was considered a cultural and...
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Valerie Harris
- Feb 20
- 4 min
"Might I have a room of my own..?"
Upon arriving at the Institute for Colored Youth (ICY) at Cheyney, PA, Laura Wheeler would have first been greeted by a spacious stone...
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Valerie Harris
- Feb 13
- 3 min
A New Home at Cheyney
“Dear Uncle Hugh, I expect to leave Hartford Monday morning and will arrive in Cheyney Monday evening. I am anxious to begin work again...
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Valerie Harris
- Feb 6
- 3 min
"The Preeminent Negro Artist..."
While still in her teens, Laura Wheeler determined to leave Hartford for study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, believing that if...
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Valerie Harris
- Jan 29
- 3 min
The Spark of Ambition
By the time she'd graduated from Hartford High School, Laura Wheeler had determined to become an artist. Her father was not pleased.
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Valerie Harris
- Nov 9, 2023
- 4 min
An Elite Upbringing
"I remember being taken to the art galleries in Hartford many times...I cannot remember a time I did not have a great thrill with my...
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