This is an original illustration used for the book, “Harlem; A History of Broken Dreams,” written by Warren J. Halliburton and Ernest Kaiser. It was published in 1974 by Zenith Books, an imprint of Doubleday. Zenith released titles aimed mainly at African-American youths to increase their awareness of their own heritage. This narrative history considers the six square mile area of Manhattan from its founding as a Dutch village in the 17th-century to a community of half a million black people.

Ben F. Stahl (b. 1932) was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is the eldest son of American illustrator Ben A. Stahl (1910-1987). Ben F. Stahl grew up with illustration, but never took a formal art training. Nevertheless, he is an excellent teacher. For various periods between 1955 and 1970, he taught at the Famous Artists Schools, Bridgeport University, and at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida. Since the 1970s, Stahl has dedicated himself to his illustration career. He is particularly well known for his illustrations of young people. His art has been commissioned by most of the major publishers, including Houghton, Mifflin; Little, Brown; Putnam, Coward, McCann and Geoghegan; Random House; Scribner's; The Franklin Library; Limited Editions Book Club; Bantam Books; Reader's Digest; Warner Publishing; and Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Presently, he lives in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Source: The Illustrator in American 1880-1980