Photographer James VanDerZee was born on this day in 1886.A native of Lenox, Massachusetts, James VanDerZee was a self-taught photographer—though he had early schooling in art and music before starting his eighty-year career in photography.
Picture Perfect Birthday
Photographer James VanDerZee was born on this day in 1886.A native of Lenox, Massachusetts, James VanDerZee was a self-taught photographer—though he had early schooling in art and music before starting his eighty-year career in photography.
VanDerZee is best known for his work in New York's Harlem district. In 1916, he set up a commercial studio there, specializing in portraits of celebrities and members of the local African American community. VanDerZee was most successful in the years between the World Wars.
His celebrity photographs from this period comprise a veritable Who's Who of noted African American war heroes, poets, singers, athletes, and religious and political leaders.
VanDerZee's studio portraiture expresses the pride, dignity, and optimism of the Harlem community and documents the rise of the African American middle class during the Harlem Renaissance.
Pictured: James VanDerZee, 1886–1983, Evening Attire, 1922, gelatin silver print on paper mounted on paperboard, 10 x 8 in., Museum purchase through the Julia D. Strong Endowment and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program.