group that published the SATURDAY EVENING
QUILL,its own annual journal.
Harmon studied at the Gordon College of
Theology and Missions in Boston but pursued her
writing career at the same time. According to the
brief biographical note about her that appeared in
the first issue of the Saturday Evening Quill, Har-
mon published at least one short story in her col-
lege yearbook and also submitted creative work to
the Boston Post.
In June 1928 Harmon, who served as secretary
for the literary club, published “BELATED RO-
MANCE” in the first issue of the group’s journal.
Her short story “ATTICROMANCE” appeared in the
April 1929 issue.
Harmon Foundation Awards
A prestigious prize awarded by the Harmon Foun-
dation, an organization established by real estate
tycoon Elmer Harmon to recognize and encourage
African-American achievements.
Awards were announced first in December
1925, and the first prizes were distributed one year
later. Recipients were awarded gold and bronze
medals and cash prizes of $400 and $100. Winners
were considered in the categories of arts, educa-
tion, industry, literature, education, music, reli-
gion, and science. One additional prize of $500
was set aside for accomplished white individuals
who made positive contributions to race relations.
The foundation solicited evaluations from
prominent reviewers, writers, and artists. When
NELLALARSENapplied for an award in 1928, the
judges of the literary entries included editor and
poet WILLIAMSTANLEYBRAITHWAITEand pub-
lisher JOHNCHIPMANFARRAR.
Winners included COUNTEE CULLEN, whose
volume of poems entitled COLORearned him the
first gold medal in literature. Palmer Hayden, a
veteran and talented art student who worked as a
janitor in order to raise money for his supplies, was
given the first prize awarded in art. THE NEW
YORKTIMESnoted Hayden’s accomplishment. A
January 1927 article headline read, “Negro Worker
Wins Harmon Art Prizes: Gold Medal and $400
Awarded to Man Who Washes Windows to Have
Time to Paint.”
Other winning artists included 1928 gold
medalist Archibald Motley, sculptor Sargent John-
son in 1929, artist and Howard University professor
James Lesesne Wells in 1931 for his painting “Flight
Into Egypt,” and painter John Wesley Hardrick.
The literature winners in 1928 were gold medal-
ist CLAUDEMCKAYfor his novel HOME TOHARLEM
and bronze medalist Nella Larsen for her novel
QUICKSAND.Novelist and activist WALTERWHITE
won a bronze medal in literature in 1929. Despite
the honor, he was miffed by the panel’s decision to
forgo a gold medal award that year. It had been an
intense debate between the judges, who wanted to
award Nella Larsen a second prize; they were unable
to do so because competition rules prohibited indi-
viduals from being repeat winners in the same cate-
gory. In 1930 poet LANGSTONHUGHESwon gold
medal for NOTWITHOUTLAUGHTER,his first novel.
CHARLES S. JOHNSON, editor of Opportunity
and NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE president, was
awarded the gold medal in 1930 for his contribu-
tions to the field of science. ATLANTAUNIVERSITY
president JOHNHOPEwon the award in 1929 for
his distinguished achievements in education.
The Harmon Foundation also committed
funds to support African-American artists, raise
public awareness of their work, and preserve their
creations. The foundation organized the first Amer-
ican exhibition dedicated to African-American art
in January 1928. It was held in NEWYORKCITY
and began a celebrated tradition of touring exhibits.Harper & Brothers
A NEWYORKCITYpublishing house. Established
in 1817 and then named Harper & Brothers in
1833, the press was a distinguished organization. It
was the only American publisher of novelist Mark
Twain and was the press that founded the influen-
tial Harper’s Weeklyand Harper’s Bazaar.
The company published a number of popular
and successful works by well-known authors. Writ-
ers who were associated with the organization in-
cluded Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, and
the Brontë sisters. Harper & Brothers published
Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick(1851) and Dick-
ens’s Bleak House(1853).
Harper & Brothers contributed much to the
Harlem Renaissance period through its publicationHarper & Brothers 221