Robert Weaver was one of the most innovative and influential illustrators of the mid-20^th century, pioneering a new approach to illustration during the 1950's and 1960's. Eschewing the idealized, romanticized magazine illustration style of the 1950's, Weaver strove to depict the world around him realisitically and as he saw it: messy, complicated, and often unsettling. Bringing a fine art approach to illustration, he did not simply record life, but provided a socially-engaged point of view -- an approach later named "visual journalism." Instead of working from photographs or with models, Weaver preferred to draw life, from life, and was dedicated to capturing the changing social and cultural climate of his times.

The Robert Weaver Collection contains his original artwork, tear sheets, and personal papers from the 1950s to the 1980s.

African Americans are featured in much of Weaver's work. The following parts of the Robert Weaver Collection are recommended:

• Series 01: Original Art: graphite on paper
• Series 02: Original Art: graphite on board
• Series 05: Original Art: paintings on board
• Series 08: Original Art: mixed media
• Series 10: Published Materials: tearsheets

You can find out more about the contents of the collection by checking out the Robert Weaver Collection finding aid on the MGHL website. Additionally, some images from this collection are available on LUNA.

From The Robert Weaver Collection