Biographical
Here is Hughes's page at the American Academy of Poets site, where you'll find biographical information, a photograph, a bibliography, and several Hughes related links.
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83
Here's a photo of Hughes from the Smithsonian, taken in 1939 by Carl Van Vetchen, an early champion of the Harlem Renaissance. Vetchen was prominent in the white literary establishment at the time this photograph was made.
http://www.150.si.edu/150trav/remember/r914.htm
Cultural
To put Hughes into a historical context you have to become familiar with the history of Harlem. Here is a timeline with photos revolving around Harlem in the first half of the last century. It's a good place to start your historical journey.
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/timex/timeline.html
The artistic movement Hughes was most closely associated with is called the Harlem Renaissance. (He was sometimes called the "poet laureate of Harlem.") Here's an overview of the Harlem Renaissance.
http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap9/9intro.html