(1890–1973). African American artist Palmer C. Hayden interpreted black folklore and working-class life in his paintings. He was associated with the Harlem Renaissance.
He was born Peyton Cole Hedgeman on January 15, 1890, in Widewater, Virginia, the fifth of 10 children. He worked as roustabout with the circus, drawing as soon as the circus tents were up. He joined the Army in 1911, taking the name Palmer C. Hayden from a timekeeper he had asked for a reference. He served in the Philippines, and studied at Columbia University after almost 10 years in the Army. In 1926 he won a gold medal at the Harmon Foundation’s first competition for black artists. In 1927 Hayden went to Paris, France, where he met other African American artists, such as Henry O. Tanner. Hayden returned to the United States in 1932 and won a Rockefeller Award in art in 1933.
Some critics found Hayden’s paintings naive, but many thought of his works as folk painting. Hayden’s works were diverse and included landscapes, street scenes, and some paintings considered works of social protest. The most famous of his works included the John Henry paintings (1944–47) and Moonlight at the Crossroads. Hayden died on February 18, 1973, in New York, New York.