Curriculum Materials: Art in America
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Image 20 James van DerZee Questions: |
James van DerZee
Largely a self-taught photographer, James van DerZee
chronicled black life in New York City's Harlem in hundreds
of photographs. In 1916 van DerZee established his own
portrait studio in Harlem and continued taking photos for
the rest of his life. His photographs from the 1920s and
1930s show Harlem's socialites, politicians, religious
leaders, families, and members of local organizations, as
well as social events like weddings and funerals. They
remain our best and most comprehensive documents of life in
Harlem during its cultural
renaissance. In 1968, van DerZee's photographs received
great acclaim when The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York City featured them in a major exhibition called "Harlem
on My Mind."
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