Hayden, Palmer C. Midsummer Night in Harlem. 1936
This painting depicts people in Harlem that have just got out of church and are relaxing in the street with friends and family.
Because of the war, Harlem got overpopulated which led to several families living in apartments meant for only one family. The white people living in Harlem became frustrated by the amount of African Americans living there and moved to other parts of the city.
"A four or five room apartment was (and still is) often crowded to capacity with roomers. In many instances, two entire families occupy space intended for only one. When bedtime comes, there is the feverish activity of moving furniture about, making down cots or preparing floor-space as sleeping quarters. The same practice of overcrowding is followed by owners or lesees of private houses. Large rooms are converted into two or three small ones by the simple process of stragetically placing beaverboard partitions. These same cubby holes are rented at the price of full sized rooms. In many houses, dining and living rooms are transformed into bed rooms soon after, if not before, midnight."
"They [African American tenants] began to think of someway to meet their ever increasing deficits. Someone evidently got the idea of having a few friends in as paying party guests a few days before the landlord's scheduled monthly visit"
[Byrd, Frank. "Harlem Rent Parties." Aug. 1938]
1929-1931. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University Library
Advertisement cards for rent parties. The cards would be spread around discreetly because it was during Prohibition.
Artists and musicians gained popularity by playing at rent parties. Most importantly, rent parties played a big role in the development of jazz and blues.
While African Americans felt pride in their art, white people had a different view of the Renaissance.
"The Whites who read that issue of the Survey Graphic became aware that in Harlem, the largest Negro city in the world, there existed a group interested in the fine arts, creative literature, and classical music. So, well-meaning, vapid whites from downtown New York came by bus, subway, or in limousines, to see for themselves these Negroes who wrote poetry and fiction and painted pictures. Of course, said these pilgrims, it couldn't approach the creative results of whites, but as a novelty, well, it didn't need standards. The very fact that these blacks had the temerity to produce so-called Art, and not its quality, made the whole fantastic movement so alluring. The idea being similar to the applause given a dancing dog. There is no question of comparing the dog to humans; it needn't do it well...merely to dance at all is quite enough."
[Hubert, Levi C. "The Whites Invade Harlem." Dec. 1938. Library of Congress]
Hubert goes on to compare African American artists to zoo animals, on display at parties so people could watch them perform.