Two (2) Joseph Delaney (Tennessee/New York, 1904-1991) sketchbooks. 1st item: Sketchbook containing fifteen crayon on paper and ink on paper drawings, primarily depicting female nudes and portraits, with two outdoor landscapes depicting Central Park, and one seascape. Also includes two poems/writings and one phone number on a piece of paper. Covers of sketchbook with phone numbers and other information. 10 1/8″ H x 8 5/8″ W x 1″ D. 2nd item: Sketchbook containing six crayon on paper drawings depicting female nudes. Also includes three photocopies of a street scene with a poem by Joseph Delaney titled “Sitting in the Sun”. 12 3/8″ H x 9 1/8″ W x 1/2″ D. American, mid 20th century. Provenance: The Estate of Ougust Delaney, Knoxville, TN. Biography (courtesy of Frederick C. Moffatt): Joseph Delaney was born in Knoxville in 1904. He and his older brother, Beauford, discovered their interest in art by drawing on Sunday School cards. In 1930, Joseph left Tennessee for New York where Beauford was also working as an artist, and enrolled in the Art Students League under the tutelage of Thomas Hart Benton and Alexander Brooke. The subject matter he found there, including the city’s landmarks and its people, are the images for which he is best known. In 1986, Delaney returned to Knoxville to live and was artist-in-residence for the University of Tennessee Art Department until his death in 1991. Delaney’s works are included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Chicago Art Institute, The Knoxville Museum of Art, and The Smithsonian American Art Museum. CONDITION: Overall good condition with light wear to covers. Areas of toning to some pages. Some smudging to crayon drawings.