Category: Harold Jackman

Harold Jackman was the person that Alain Locke chose to represent the Harlem Renaissance in the 1925 edition of the Survey Graphic that became the foundation of The New NEgro Anthology. Called “Handsome Harold” in the newspapers, Jackman was the force that held the Harlem Renaissance possible.

Biography, Harlem Renaissance, Harold Jackman

Met Museum and the Harlem Renaissance

DrJinHarlem

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style and the Harlem Renaissance

Bonjour,

Winold Reiss’ 1924 portrait of Harold Jackman entitled A College Lad was featured in the Metropolitan Musuem’s 2025 exhibit  Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. As Jackman’s biographer, I am unsure if I would classify him as a dandy. The mulatto dandy has been around since slavery. Yet Harold Jackman was not a descendant of slaves. He wasn’t even born in the United States. Too often Jackman has been objectified and deemed shallow because of his physical appearance. I am very happy to see that he was included in the Respectability section of the exhibit. Mr. Jackman was well known for his sense of style. While he didn’t have a lot of money, he managed to look well dressed. Thus it is not surprising that, in addition to being one of the first Black male models, Jackman’s image appears in many works of the Harlem Renaissance.

A College Lad is a portrait of a well educated and well dressed young man. The visible Phi Beta Kappa key signals his academic achievement and his three piece suit emits elegance. The question that has guided my research remains. Why was a biracial man born in England chosen to represent the New Negro? The answer will be found in my biography The Best Man: Harold Jackman and the Harlem Renaissance.

Harold Jackman

Who attended the wedding?

DrJinHarlem

The better question is who didn’t attend the wedding. Countee and Dr. DuBois worked on the guest list for months. 1,200 were invited to the ceremony with a smaller number attended the reception. A problem arose when the entire congregation of Salem Methodist Episcopal Church assumed that they were invited.