Auction Information

The Florida Highwaymen

In the mid 1950's and the 1960's, 25 African American men and 1 African American woman, all from the Fort Pierce area, painted landscapes of what was then still undeveloped areas of Florida. Although they were relatively unknown at the time, that is no longer the case. In the last few years, many people have heard about or read their story so the value of what were beautiful but
inexpensive oil paintings at the time have since skyrocketed.

What could be purchased for $10 to $20 on the side of the road in rural Florida now commands, in many cases, thousands of dollars. The subject matter of most of their paintings were palm trees, marsh scenes, ocean scenes, sunsets on the water and Royal Poinciana trees. They were created in all sizes from small to what could be referred to as sofa art measuring 24 inches by 48 inches.

The first and original Florida Highwaymen was Alfred Hair who was tutored back in

the early 50's by a well known white artist named A.E. "Bean" Backus. Backus encouraged Hair to paint landscapes. Once Hair realized he could make a living doing it, he encouraged some of his friends to do the same. Unlike Backus, who could command hundreds of dollars for his paintings in art shows and art galleries back then, the Florida Highwaymen who were African Americans living in the deep south, as well as self-taught, were not afforded the luxury of marketing their paintings in the same manner as Backus.

Instead, they traveled around selling their artwork to hotels, businesses and individuals. Mainly, however, they sold them on the side of the road, hence the name the Florida Highwaymen. This name was not associated with them until the 1990s and was coined by a reporter who wrote an article about them. Many of the Florida Highwaymen really honed their craft becoming excellent painters but today Alfred Hair and Harold Newton are considered to be the best artists of the group. Also, they all learned to paint pretty quickly in an effort to turn over enough paintings to support themselves and their families.

They disbanded between the late 70's and early 80's but since the resurgence of interest in their work, some of the Florida Highwaymen are painting once again. Unfortunately, a few of them are now deceased including the first Highwaymen, Alfred Hair, who was killed in a bar room fight in 1970. At least two books have been published about them in the last few years and all 26 of them were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004. Harold Newton is also listed in Davenport's. The Florida Highwaymen are credited with the beginning of the Indian River School. The list of names of the official Florida Highwaymen is closed. No other names of artists, even if they painted in the same fashion during the same period of time, will ever be added to this list.

There are several artists that currently paint in their style and are actually relatives of the original Highwaymen, such as sons and nephews. People have started to refer to them as "Second Generation Highwaymen". Most of the original Florida Highwaymen paintings were created on inexpensive upson board rather than canvas. Canvas was more expensive at that time and upson board, a popular material in construction, was easier to come by. Although I'm sure many of their paintings have been reframed over the years, their frame of choice back then was crown molding, another popular construction material.

The combination of the upson board and the crown molding went a long way toward keeping their costs down. Some of the original Florida Highwaymen who are still painting today have mostly switched to regular canvas but their framing style has pretty much remained the same in an effort to preserve the look of their original work.

In 2008, we were honored with a visit from Sylvester Wells, one of the original 26 Highwaymen, and his wife. They are very religious and live a quiet life in rural Tennessee. They will however travel the southeast in order to attend the Highwaymen Art Shows that have become more and more popular in the last several years. Mr. Wells is still painting and selling his paintings at these shows.

At our auction house, we sold dozens of Highwaymen paintings. Almost all of them were purchased by two serious collectors who live here in Florida. The most expensive was a Royal Poinciana tree on original upson board with a crown molding frame painted by Alfred Hair prior to his death in 1970. It brought $10,500 in 2006. We also sold a wonderful palm tree scene, 24 inches by 48 inches, painted by Harold Newton, also deceased. That one brought $10,000 in 2007. We are not sure, but we believe these could be record prices.

We have included a list of the original 26 Florida Highwaymen. If you go to yard sales, you should carry this list with you. Once you are familiar with these paintings, they are easy to spot. Should you see one and are not sure, check the list. If the artist's signature is not on the list, you can walk away. If it is on the list, pull out your wallet. Although the prices for these paintings are pretty high, you might find one at a yard sale marked $10. We have seen this happen a number of times. Good luck and let us know if you find one!

List of The Florida Highwaymen
Curtis Arnett
Hezekiah Baker - Deceased
Al Black
Ellis Buckner - Deceased
George Buckner - Deceased
Robert Butler
Mary Ann Carroll
Johnny Daniels
Willie Daniels
Rodney Demps
James Gibson
Alfred Hair - Deceased
Issac Knight
Robert Lewis
John Maynor
Roy McLendon
Alfonso Moran - Deceased
Harold Newton - Deceased
Lemuel Newton
Sam Newton
Livingston Roberts - Deceased
Willie Reagan
Cornell "Pete" Smith
Charles Walker
Sylvester Wells
Charles "Chico" Wheeler

Note of Interest: The name "Highwaymen" is only used in the plural. If speaking about a single artist on the list, that artist is still a "Highwaymen".

Written by Anne Benedetto, AuctionHouseTalk,
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