Candle-Lightin’ Time

Candle-Lightin’ Time
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Illustrated with Photographs by the Hampton Institute Camera Club and Decorations by Margaret Armstrong
Dodd Mead & co., 1901
Southern Civilization Collection
Vanderbilt University Special Collections

Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first African American poets to gain national recognition.  His work contributed to the broader acceptance and appreciation of African American literature in mainstream culture.  The poems in Candle-Lightin’ Time reflect the historical context of post-Civil War America and the ongoing struggles of African Americans for equality and recognition.