Digital Commons Network^™

Nervous Conditions, Laurel Grelle

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Work displayed here as a diptych

Artist's narrative: Letter 174 is addressed to Paul Laurence Dunbar sent from his dear family friend H.A. Tobey. Toward the end of his life, Dunbar struggled to cope with his tuberculosis and turned to alcohol to ease his pain. As his condition worsened, Tobey began to worry about him and wrote him this moving letter of optimism expressing his sympathy regarding Paul living with a painful and deadly disease. The mirroring is showing the side effects of the disease …

From Despair Comes Future Hope, Ainsley Betz

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Medium: Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Work displayed here as a diptych

Artist's narrative: Letter 3 was written to Dunbar’s friend and mentor Dr. James Newton Matthews. The letter focused on Dunbar’s despair following his publication and recital at the Western Association of Writers Conference, where he was not able to sell any of his poems. This caused him to doubt himself and his ability. The color blue was used to represent these feelings of sadness and self doubt. Negative words were pulled from the letter and applied at various …

On Flow'ry Beds Of Ease, Jacob Owens

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: In Letter 10, Paul Laurence Dunbar's heartfelt words to his friend J. N. Matthews unveil a profound narrative of gratitude and faith. As a Black man navigating adversity, Dunbar expressed his deep indebtedness to white colleagues who aided in his success. The gentle color palette—featuring dark blues, purples, and soft whites—exudes an antique ambiance, transporting viewers back to Dunbar's era. This color scheme evokes the essence of the time when Dunbar mastered his craft in the cozy confines of his mother's home, where …

Sincerely Yours, Emily Kintz

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Work displayed here as a diptych

Artist's narrative: Letter 62 unfolds William D. Howells’ review of Majors and Minors and the impact it had on Paul Laurence Dunbar. This single review pushed Dunbar into the national spotlight, which made his career. Howells' review, however, was embedded with racist ideologies and misinterpretations of Dunbar’s messages. The use of blue watercolor in the foreground represents the depth Dunbar put into his work. The purple watercolor begins to flood into the imagery to express the power Howells had …

Irrevocable Harm, Sebastián De León

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Can one experience extreme joy and fear simultaneously? In Letter 62, Dunbar writes to William D. Howells to express his gratitude for the praise he received in Harper’s Weekly. Howells was a prominent Ohioan publisher, editor, and writer during Dunbar’s time. His review of Dunbar’s Majors and Minors is attributed as a major step in Dunbar’s career, as it awarded the Daytonian poet with great recognition. However, though Howell’s article portrayed Dunbar as a great and talented artist, it also painted his race …

Wish To Be, Try To Be, Madelyn Selong

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative:

Letter 21 details the events Paul Laurence Dunbar experienced following the Chicago World's Fair. Dunbar writes to Frederick Douglass, whom he had made friends with at the World's Fair after reading his poems there. The beginning of the letter tells the story of Dunbar’s gratitude toward Douglass as he promises to try to be worthy of the interest Douglass took in him. The end of the letter has a less positive tone, with Dunbar reflecting on some unfortunate events that occurred at the …

Uneventful, Mary Dent

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 x 36 inches
Media: Inkjet on matte paper
Created using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, ink, and handwritten calligraphy

Artist's statement: Letter 85 was written to a woman who is still unknown to this day. The opening sentence of the letter states, “In answer I must say that my life has been so uneventful that there is little in it to interest anyone.” Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote this letter explaining the “uneventful” occurrences that he had experienced, beginning at his birth in Dayton, Ohio. Dunbar continues on in the letter brushing through age 12, when he first began writing, …

Self-Deprivation, Maddison Mitchell

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Paul Laurence Dunbar was a fascinating poet and writer. He was ahead of his time, and his writing was special and loved by all who read it. However, Dunbar was very hard on himself; he talked down about his abilities and writings. In Letter 3, he was writing to a close friend and mentor, James Newton Matthews. He talks about how he is not confident in his writing abilities and is doubting himself, saying he hasn’t been able to sell a single poem. …

Love And Family, Kevin Brun

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's statement: Letter 92 is Paul writing to his mother, Matilda, during his voyage from New York to England. Due to Dunbar’s dedication and love for his mother, he was writing to let her know that he had a rough trip but is doing well. Dunbar was on his way to London to sell his book Lyrics of Lowly Life after he got the approval and recommendation from William Dean Howells—who at the time was known as the “Dean of American Letters.” Near the end …