“Wherever you go in this country you will run across some unknown colored person who stands out from the ruck of human beings. The other day while in Philadelphia I chanced into a little candy store at 1707 Lombard Street. To my surprise, I noted that half of on wall was covered with unusually fine watercolors and crayons. Among them were several portraits revealing such admirable sense of character, delineation, coloring and knowledge of anatomy as to be worthy of mention in any ordinary art exhibit. Many of them indeed, far outclassed a number of pieces I have seen displayed at the Harmon Foundation’s exhibits of work by Negro artists or at some of the more significant and important exhibits in large galleries in New York.
The clerk, a slender dark youth with intelligent sensitive features, admitted modesty that he was the painter, that he was but 16 years old and has been attending art classes for some time. His name is Warren Harris. Here is talent that Philadelphia should aid and and encourage, and probably will.”
George Schuyler (1934), Editorial, Pittsburgh Courier