Charles Alston. Charles Henry Alston was an American painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist and teacher who lived and worked in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem.
Alston was active in the Harlem Renaissance; Alston was the first African-American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Alston designed and painted murals at the Harlem Hospital and the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building.
In 1990, Alston's bust of Martin Luther King Jr. became the first image of an African American displayed at the White House. Charles Henry Alston was born on November 28, 1907, in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Reverend Primus Priss Alston and Anna Elizabeth Alston, as the youngest of five children.
Three survived past infancy: Charles, his older sister Rousmaniere and his older brother Wendell. His father had been born into slavery in 1851 in Pittsboro, North Carolina.
After the Civil War, he gained an education and graduated from St. Augustine's College in Raleigh. He became a prominent minister and founder of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, with an African-American congregation. The senior Alston was described as a race man: an African American who dedicated his skills to the furtherance of the Black race. Reverend Alston met his wife when she was a student at his school. Charles was nicknamed Spinky by his father, and kept the nickname as an adult. In 1910, whe
Alston was active in the Harlem Renaissance; Alston was the first African-American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Alston designed and painted murals at the Harlem Hospital and the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building.
In 1990, Alston's bust of Martin Luther King Jr. became the first image of an African American displayed at the White House. Charles Henry Alston was born on November 28, 1907, in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Reverend Primus Priss Alston and Anna Elizabeth Alston, as the youngest of five children.
Three survived past infancy: Charles, his older sister Rousmaniere and his older brother Wendell. His father had been born into slavery in 1851 in Pittsboro, North Carolina.
After the Civil War, he gained an education and graduated from St. Augustine's College in Raleigh. He became a prominent minister and founder of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, with an African-American congregation. The senior Alston was described as a race man: an African American who dedicated his skills to the furtherance of the Black race. Reverend Alston met his wife when she was a student at his school. Charles was nicknamed Spinky by his father, and kept the nickname as an adult. In 1910, whe
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