James Van Der Zee
At the young age of 14, James Van Der Zee began taking pictures of his family and friends around his hometown of Lenox, Massachusetts. In 1906, he moved to New York City. Ten years later, Van Der Zee set up a studio in Harlem that launched a visual legacy of the documentation of Harlem’s people, events, celebrations, and influential members of the Harlem Renaissance. The subjects of his studio portraiture varied from middle-class families to celebrities, with each photograph composed with great care and attention to detail. Van Der Zee used painted backdrops, lush furniture, and decoration for his sitters and carefully positioned them in ways that would capture their beauty and elegance. His photography combated the prevailing twentieth-century stereotypes surrounding Black Americans, and instead, presented his subjects in a respectful and celebratory manner that continues to influence and affirm the history of Harlem today.
Atlantic City, 1930
Title: Atlantic City, 1930
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1930
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size: 6 3/8 x 3 7/8 inches
Accession Number: H77.78.5
Daddy Grace, Harlem, 1938
Title: Daddy Grace, Harlem, 1938
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1938
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size: 9 3/8 x 7 3/8 inches
Accession Number: H77.79.7
Swimming Team, Harlem, 1925
Title: Swimming Team, Harlem, 1925
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1925
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size: 2 1/2 x 9 3/8 inches
Accession Number: H77.79.9
Marcus Garvey & the Garvey Militia – Harlem 1924
Title: Marcus Garvey & the Garvey Militia – Harlem 1924
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1924
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size: 9 ¾ x 7 ¾ inches
Accession Number: H77.79.10
Black Jews, 1929
Title: Black Jews, 1929
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1929
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size: 7 ½ x 9 3/8 inches
Accession Number: H77.79.8
Mrs. Turner Lenox, Mass.
Title: Mrs. Turner Lenox, Mass.
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1905
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size: 7 x 5 ½ inches
Accession Number: H77.79.1
The Van Der Zee Men, Lenox, Mass., 1908.
Title: The Van Der Zee Men, Lenox, Mass., 1908.
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1908
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size: 6 ¼ x 5 inches
Accession Number: H77.79.6
Miss Suzie Porter
Title: Miss Suzie Porter
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1915
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size: 7 3/8 x 6 ¼ inches
Accession Number: H77.79.4
Wedding Day, Harlem, 1926
Title: Wedding Day, Harlem, 1926
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1925
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size: 9 ¼ x 6 7/8 inches
Accession Number: H77.79.3
Whittier Preparatory School, Phoebus, Virginia, 1907
Title: Whittier Preparatory School, Phoebus, Virginia, 1907
Artist: James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)
Date: 1907
Medium: silver gelatin
Dimensions: Image size 5 ¾ x 7 ¼ inches
Accession Number: H77.79.2
harlem art collection
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