Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 285
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
Richard Wright ALS to Federal Writers' Project Director Henry Alsberg Recalling the "never-to-be-forgotten days when Uncle Sam paid us to write"
Richard Wright ALS to Federal Writers' Project Director Henry Alsberg Recalling the "never-to-be-forgotten days when Uncle Sam paid us to write"
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
Description:

Wright Richard


Richard Wright ALS to Federal Writers' Project Director Henry Alsberg Recalling the "never-to-be-forgotten days when Uncle Sam paid us to write"

 

1p ALS inscribed overall by seminal black American writer Richard Wright (1908-1960) and signed by him as "Dick Wright" at center right. Dated March 13, 1940. Inscribed on thicker cream paper, almost certainly an endpaper removed from a book. With uneven toning and minor edge burn. Chipped edges, else very good to near fine. 5.5" x 8".

 

"To -

 

Henry G. Alsberg

 

in memory of those never-to-be-forgotten days when Uncle Sam paid us to write -

 

Dick Wright

 

3/13/40."

 

Both Wright and his dedicatee Alsberg had worked for "Uncle Sam" under the auspices of the Federal Writers' Project in the mid- to late 1930s. Wright's tone in the letter is bitter and ironic; by lamenting the disappearance of former days when writers were actually appreciated by the federal government, it only underscored how that attitude had changed for the worse. Similar disenchantment with American society explained Wright's later defection to Europe. Wright worked and lived in Paris, France between 1946 and his death in 1960.

 

Wright was one of approximately 6,000 writers employed by the Federal Writers' Project to keep American intellectuals employed during the Great Depression, and to document the nineteenth- and twentieth-century American cultural experience. Part of Roosevelt's New Deal and the Works Progress Administration, the FWP was established on July 27, 1935 after the passage of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act. Between 1935-1943, the FWP's writers produced thousands of publications, and in the process, offered work to unemployed historians, writers, researchers, and librarians. Works ranged from guidebooks, state and local histories, and ethnographies, to oral histories, musical recordings, and children's books.

 

Wright contributed to the American Guide Series, a series of guidebooks of 48 states and major American cities. The travel guides featured essays, tourist recommendations, photographs, and maps. Wright was the unattributed author of the essay "Portrait of Harlem" that appeared in the American Guide Series' New York Panorama: A Companion to the WPA Guide to New York City: A Comprehensive View of the Metropolis, Presented in a Series of Articles (New York: Random House, 1938). The 526pp book with 64 pages of illustrations offered a complete recap of New York City's history, geography, and culture.

 

Henry G. Alsberg (c. 1880-1970) directed the Federal Writers' Project between 1935-1939. The Columbia alum had diverse interests: law, journalism, creative writing, theatrical production, diplomacy, and philanthropy. During his 4-year-long stewardship of the FWP, innumerable critically praised works were published. Alsberg's adept management of the FWP is only revealed when considering the many obstacles to its success. These included congressional allegations of Communism, internal dissension, strikes, and writers' systemic alcoholism, to name but a few.

 

Richard Wright's extremely difficult childhood informed his writing. Against a backdrop of the early-twentieth-century American South, where Jim Crow laws still perverted race relations, his father abandoned the family, his mother got sick, he was fostered by relatives, and he received patchy and interrupted schooling. Once Wright relocated to Chicago, he discovered his true identity as a writer and as a Communist. He wrote poetry, essays, fiction, and non-fiction works like Uncle Tom's Children (1938), Native Son (1940), and Black Boy (1945); these are still read in public schools today.

 



WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!
Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS. ALSO, ALL PACKAGES SHIPPED FROM OUR OFFICES REQUIRE A DIRECT SIGNATURE UPON DELIVERY.*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000