Interview with painter Pharaoh Baker

General Note/Comment

• One audio cassette. Side 1, C78-50: Baker, born in Sneeds, Florida, discusses how he started painting seriously in his early twenties and used the GI Bill to study art at Florida A & M University from 1947 to 1949. He also describes the cotton picking trading system in which the laborers would trade coupons for finished cotton goods for payment. Baker also discusses his paintings: "The Sharecropper," "A Hero's Welcome," "Lord, Make My Burden Lighter," "The Dead Christ," "The Soul Searchers." He also talks about what has influenced his art; his school days; the murder of Emmett Till; and growing up as an African American in Jim Crow Florida. Side 2: Baker talks about his religious background and its influence in his art; how long it takes him to paint a picture; how he sculpts; the materials he uses to paint; and house and sign painting.