Comments and Tags
A 1928 copy of Rudolph Fisher’s The Walls of Jericho. The fictional novel centers on the lives of a diverse set of characters living within Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. It reflects the social atmosphere and experiences there in the 1920s. The book has a satirical flare to it but also emphasizes other larger ideas. It displays African American struggles at the time as well as their diverse experiences and thoughts. The book was written by physician and writer Rudolph Fisher. Fisher was born in Washington DC in 1897 and spent his life growing up in Rhode Island. Years later, in 1926, he moved to New York City. It was there that he became a writer of fiction during the Harlem Renaissance. He went on to write many short stories reflecting the lives of the people in Harlem. He was also the first African American to write a crime novel. These works and various interactions led Langston Hughes to describe Fisher as “…wittiest of these New Negroes of Harlem.”Olivia Vande Vegte, 3/8/2023
Books
African American History Books
Black History ➔ Book, The Walls of Jericho
Identifier:
2019.1.98Description:
The Walls of Jericho was written by Rudolph Fisher and published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1928. The fictional novel centers on the lives of a diverse set of characters living in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. It reflects the social atmosphere and experiences there in the 1920s. The book has a satirical flare but emphasizes other ideas as well. It displays African American struggles at the time as well as their diverse experiences and thoughts.Date:
1928Materials:
PaperDimensions:
7.75" h 5.5" w 1.25" dCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Museum CollectionExhibit/Program:
Changing America (May 25 – October 13 2019)Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863, and the March on Washington, 1963, examines the relationship between two great people’s movements, which both grew out of decades of bold actions, resistance, organization, and vision. One hundred years separate them, yet they are linked in a larger story of liberty and the American experience – one that has had a profound impact on the generations that followed.
The GRPM added artifacts and stories to the exhibition to give it an additional local perspective. In addition to artifacts from the GRPM Collections, many artifacts on display are on loan from the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives. Local stories are told through the eyes of our community in the form of oral histories and a place for visitors to share their own stories.
Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963 was created by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The exhibition is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Related Entities:
Rudolph Fisher (creator)Rudolph Fisher was born on May 9th, 1897 in Washington D.C, and grew up in Rhode Island. In 1926, he moved to New York City where he became a writer during the Harlem Renaissance, writing fictional stories about African Americans for African Americans. He was known for works such as The Walls of Jericho, The Conjure Man Dies, and "City of Refuge". Rudolph was also a musician, physician, and radiologist. He passed away in 1934.
Ruth Herrick (is related to)
Born on July 6, 1895 in Ohio, Ruth Herrick became known as one of the first women physicians in Michigan. She studied at the University of Chicago Medical College and at Blodgett Memorial Hospital. Afterwards she began her practice in 1931 in Grand Rapids. She was an avid collector and took a strong interest in archaeology, having lectured at the Greenfield Village Museum and wrote and published a book entitled "Greentown glass: the Indiana Tumbler and Goblet Company and allied manufacturers (1959)". In 1961 she cooperated with the Kent County Medical Society in compiling a historic medical collection. She retired in 1973 and later passed away after an automobile accident on June 7, 1974, with many of her assets bequeathed to the Public Museum.
