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Blanche Morgan drawings and watercolors, 1937-1962

Overview of the Collection

Artist
Morgan, Blanche, 1912-1981
Title
Blanche Morgan drawings and watercolors
Dates
1937-1962 (inclusive)
Quantity
approximately 1 cubic foot (3 boxes containing 40 pieces of art work, 1 sketchbook, 1 placard, and more)
Collection Number
PH0525
Summary
Photographs, drawings, and other materials related to the career of a set and costume designer, as well as her watercolors, sketches of set and costume designs for WPA Seattle Negro Repertory Company
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to the public.

Request at UW

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Blanche Morgan (1912-1981) was a set and costume designer for the Seattle Negro Repertory Company, a subsidiary of the WPA's Federal Theater Project which put on plays with African-American actors. She was also a watercolor artist and interior designer for Frederick & Nelson. She studied at the University of Washington and was a member of Women Painters of Washington, Northwest Watercolor Society, and the National Association of Women Artists. Her art departed from the traditional attitudes of loose, whimsical images done with watercolor, concentrating more on crisp, precise form and design. She exhibited in New York as well as the Oakland Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum and other regional venues. During her tenure with Seattle's Negro Repertory Company from 1937 to 1939, the company produced "Androcles and the Lion," "Is Zat So," "Black Empire," "Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby" (a Children’s Unit production), "An Evening with Dunbar," "Mississippi Rainbow," "The Dragon Wishbone" (Children’s Unit), and "Taming of the Shrew." In her work for Frederick & Nelson she designed a Japanese themed Higashi-Nishi room which was on display at the Century 21 World's Fair in Seattle in 1962 which featured the "luxurious new U.S. Royal Naugahyde."

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Historical Background

The Federal Theater Project (FTP) was established by the WPA to provide employment for theater professionals during the Great Depression. The FTP opened in Seattle in 1935 with the sponsorship of the Seattle Repertory Company and the support of the University of Washington Drama School and drama professor Glenn Hughes. The Negro Repertory Company (NRC) opened as a subsidiary of the FTP in January of 1936 with 73 actors and singers. The NRC was initially intended as a temporary effort, but strong reception led to the continuation of the company.

Florence and Burton James of the Seattle Repertory Playhouse headed the production of the NRC until their departure in the autumn of 1937. Hallie Flanagan, the national director of the FTP, then sent Esther Porter to lead the Seattle NRC. Blanche Morgan had been the principal designer for the FTP until Porter hired her for NRC productions.

The Negro Repertory Company’s effort totaled 15 productions, second only to New York City, with both cities enjoying continuously active Negro units until the abolition of the Federal Theater Project by a Congressional act in June of 1939.

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Content Description

The collection includes watercolors and sketches of set and costume designs for the Seattle Negro Repertory Company's Third Season (1937-1938) productions; these included "Androcles and the Lion," "Black Empire," and "Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby." The collection also includes a spiral sketchbook of designs and cast roster from Federal Theater Project’s 1939 production of "Spirochete," as well as a placard advertising a Federal Theater Colored Unit show. The collection includes images of Blanche Morgan, as well as photographs of her with Eleanor Roosevelt. Additional items include watercolor and graphite drawings related to her set designs, four printed pieces about her Higashi-Nishi Decor for the Century 21 World's Fair, and clippings about her work. The collection contains a painted poster design she submitted to the War Poster Competition at the Seattle Art Museum. The collection also includes certificates and diplomas for Ebba Rapp McLauchlan.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Organized into 2 accessions.

  • Accession No. PH0525, Blanche Morgan drawings and watercolors, 1937-1939
    • Federal Theater Project Productions
    • Unknown productions
    • Ephemera
  • Accession No. PH2024-010, Blanche Morgan Drawings, Photographs and Ephemera, approximately 1937-1962

Acquisition Information

Source: Martin-Zambito Fine Art; received in 1997. PH2024-010 was received in 2011.

Processing Note

Processed by Sarah Nelson, 2004. PH2024-010 added in 2024 and minimally processed.

Bibliography

Evamarii Alexandria Johnson, A Production of The Seattle Federal Theatre Project Negro Repertory Company: 1935-1939, Dissertation (Ph.D.), University of Washington, 1981.

Related Materials

The University of Washington Drama School Federal Theater Project Photograph Collection, PH Coll 455, contains photographs of the Federal Theater Project productions. More photographs of Negro Repertory Company productions can also be found in University of Washington Theaters Photograph Collection, PH Coll 236.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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Subject Terms

  • Black theater--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Theatrical companies--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)

Corporate Names

  • Federal Theater Project (Seattle, Wash.)

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)--Photographs

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • Negro Repertory Company (creator)


2009 (Last modified: 6/16/2025)

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