Joseph Delaney (1904 – November 21, 1991) was a black American artist who became a part of the New York art scene at the time of the Harlem Renaissance.

[3] In his late teens and early 20s, Delaney spent a period of years without a settled home before joining the Eighth Infantry Regiment, Illinois National Guard.

[4] At the Art Students League he studied with Alexander Brook, figure drawing with George Bridgman,[5] and human anatomy under Thomas Hart Benton.

He taught children's art classes, drew renderings of silver by Paul Revere, and in 1943 Delaney was named to the WPA’s prestigious Easel Painting Division.

[10] In 1968, he published a pamphlet that summarized his experience as an artist in New York, entitled Thirty-six Years Exhibiting in the Washington Square Outdoor Art Show.