Archibald John Motley, Jr. was an African American painter known for his bold, modernist works in the 1920s, during the Harlem Renaissance. Motley was born in New Orleans, and his family eventually moved to Chicago, where he attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Motley’s scenes of American culture were filled with color, vibrance, and visuals that told stories of the modern African American.

Read more about his work, The Octoroon Girl.