James VanDerZee
Evening Attire1922
gelatin silver print
10 x 8 in.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, purchase through the Julia D. Strong Endowment and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
Evening Attire is typical of James VanDerZee's ability to endow his sitters with a sense of style and dignity. During the 1920s and 1930s, he produced hundreds of photographs recording Harlem's growing middle class. VanDerZee knew the neighborhood and its inhabitants, and shared their dreams and aspirations for self-determination and racial pride.
