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Lexie Newman

I am a city girl living in Harlem, New York in the mid-1920s, the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Music and art is my life! I love the written works of Zora Neale Hurston and the music of the infamous Louis Armstrong.

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Today I was lucky enough to see this beautiful work of art. It was painted by Palmer Hayden in 1930. It was never officially named, but people call it the "Dreamer" oil painting. Hayden was born in 1890, and his work only became famous when the Harlem Renaissance began.

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As I was walking down the street this afternoon, I was lucky enough to encounter this trio of women. I absolutely loved their outfits, so I just had to ask them to stop for a picture! All three of them were very kind, and were very flattered by my compliment. It just so happened that we were all heading to the same gig down the road! We all became fast friends.

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Music, dance, and art were what the Harlem Renaissance was all about- its what made it distinct from all other time periods! It was based upon the explosion of art and music within African- American people. Pictured below is two of the many elements of the Renaissance being combined- art and music! Depicted in this painting is a black dance party/ nightclub, where people are having lots of fun and are all dressed up. Balloons and streamers can also be spotted in the background.

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Shown here is a perfect example of the bold, statement-making fashion that was often worn during the Harlem Renaissance. From the striped pants to the oversized checkered coat, you can tell with only a glance what these girls are all about! They certainly know what will grab your attention.

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Hairstyles during the time period of the Harlem Renaissance were certainly something else! Bold fashion was very popular during this time, so it only makes sense that your bold outfit would need some bold hair to go with it. The goal of such snazzy hair was to make a statement- plus, it just looked pretty awesome.

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This is the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club was a nightclub in Harlem, located on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue from 1923 to 1935, then briefly in the midtown Theater District from 1936 to 1940. It was a whites-only establishment, but many black musicians and artists performed here. At its prime, the club regularly held "Celebrity Nights", where famous guests were featured.

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These are the Moorish Jews of Harlem. This picture was taken by James Van Der Zee (1886-1983) in 1829. These Moorish Jews were a group of black Jews that attended "The Moorish Zionist Temple of the Moorish Jews", as also seen in the photograph.

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In this photo, a streetside band is giving it their all in a performance. I particularly enjoy it when bands play for the public because hearing that little bit of jazzy music really lifts my spirits and brightens up the rest of my day. This particular band featured a trumpet player, two trombone players, a drummer, a clarinet player, a banjo player, and a lady piano player. How fun!!

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I was able to watch the infamous Josephine Baker dance in her record- breaking 400th performance! Fun fact: did you know that in my time, "Baker" was pronounced "Ba-Caire"? Baker is as famous for her soft, musical voice and dancing skills as well as her ability to speak fluent French with a perfect accent, too! This was a really big deal because in my day, very few Americans even bothered to attempt to learn French.