Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000)

According to Peter Nesbett, co-author of the Jacob Lawrence catalogue raisonné, at the time this work was executed, Lawrence was living off Convent Avenue at the corner of West 144th Street and Hamilton Terrace in Harlem, New York. While the street corner depicted in Harlem Street Scene may be more imagined than a representation of a specific location, the perspective was likely influenced by the view from the nearby City College campus over St. Nicholas Park to the neighborhood below.