Hughes & Roberts

The following illustrations were created by Cliff Roberts and are from Langston Hughes's The First Book of Jazz as published by Franklin Watts, Inc. in 1955. These images were obtained from The Invisible Agent. 

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 In this children's book we find a unique depiction of jazz that seems to mirror Jacob Lawrence's contour-based illustrative method. Through these illustrations we see people, buildings, cityscapes, and a vast array of musical instruments ranging from banjos and bottles to drums and pianos. In the book, the images are all depicted in black and white - the skin of the characters one of these two colors. All the while, each character is depicted to be happily playing jazz or enjoying taking it in. Fascinatingly, these lighthearted depictions of jazz and its consumers provides age-appropriate illustrations for children, yet it seems to also provide interestingly visual commentary on race and consumerism. In the book, the images are all depicted in black and white - the skin of the characters one of these colors. All the while, each character is depicted to be happily playing jazz or enjoying taking it in. Across the illustrations, over 15 of the characters presented are White and 13 are Black. Interestingly, the Black characters are always playing the music - and are never depicted to play the role of the listener, whereas White characters are portrayed dancing and listening to the music that they are depicted to also play. Through these visuals, we see jazz produced by all races, yet consumed by only one. Therefore, this children's book reveals the racial tensions surrounding a musical genre created by African Americans that was then appropriated into the mass culture.

Additionally, we can also pair these illustrations with Langston Hughes's "The Weary Blues," found under the Poems. In doing so, we the readers and audience members are filled with a sense of dissonance and unsettledness due to the juxtaposition of portrayed happiness that gilded the issues Hughes wrote of.​