Joseph Delaney

The younger brother of Beauford Delaney, Joseph left Knoxville, Tennessee, for New York City. But unlike his brother, Joseph remained in America, studying art in Thomas Hart Benton's class at the Art Students League. Throughout his life, he was committed to opposing racial discrimination, and panoramic crowd scenes like Penn Station [SAAM 1970.176] reveal Delaney's deep concern for the lives of common people.

Elizabeth Prelinger Scenes of American Life: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (New York and Washington, D.C.: Watson-Guptill Publications, in cooperation with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2001)