Porter, James A. (James Amos), 1905-1970

James Amos Porter, African American artist and art historian, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 22, 1905, to Lydia and John Porter. After graduating from Howard University with a bachelor's degree in art in 1927, he went to New York City to continue studying art. He graduated from New York University with a Master of Arts in Art History in 1937. While studying in New York he met Dorothy Burnett, a librarian at the Harlem branch of The New York Public Library. They were married in 1929, and had one child, Constance Porter. In 1943 he published MODERN NEGRO ART, a seminal work documenting African American art from the 18th century to the mid-twentieth century. Porter became the head of the Howard University Department of Art and the Art Gallery in 1953. Dorothy Porter was the director of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University. Porter died on February 28, 1970.

From the description of James A. Porter papers, 1914-1970. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 605914281