Hi all,
I'm working on Pennsylvania profiles for the USBH 1880 Census Project, and I recently created a profile on Virginia Harr (1878-1960). She recently received local media coverage from the York Daily Record (link) when her gravestone was found, and through the work of a team of geneaologists (Friends of Lebanon Cemetery), it was discovered she was an artist and voter rights activist of some note in the area of York County, PA.
Her accomplishments include:
1. Seven works exhibited at the 1913 (!) Emancipation Proclamation Exhibition;
2. Working with Etha Cowles Armstrong and Clara Carroll Cowles as leaders of the Negro Subcommittee of the Women's Suffrage Movement;
3. A lifetime of advocacy for women's suffrage as an African American woman in the early 20th century.
I want to make special note of the work of the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery, who were invaluable in their research published the York Daily Record article. This includes but is not limited to Tina Charles, Jenny DeJesus Marshall, and Lisa Nelson with additional research by Samantha Dorm. I created the profile and added the census records, but the gravestone entry on FindAGrave and the aforementioned research into Virginia's artistic and political contributions was done by those above. Additionally, I find the opinion of York County African-American artist Ophelia Chambliss relevant on the topic:
York County’s Ophelia Chambliss views a black artist operating at that level in 1913 as something “extremely significant.”
[...]
“I believe Virginia Harr would have made that list,” she said. “I see the significance of what she was doing to be up there with the mural work at that Capitol building done by Violet Oakley.”
In my mind, Virginia definitely qualifies as a African-American Notable profile, but what does everyone else think?
I did see the requirements for general Notable profiles, but I thought it was worth asking in G2G for additional opinions.
P.S. As noted in the York Daily Record article, none of Virginia Harr's artworks have been recovered. So I hope this post may provoke a look through any Pennsylvania art collectors that may happen across this post!
EDIT: I suggest for those curious about newspaper coverage of Harr's accomplishments, check the FindAGrave page on the profile for some clippings on her work.
