Collection comprises forty gelatin silver exhibit prints and two vintage prints of images taken by photographer James Van Der Zee, known for his portraits and documentation of daily life in Harlem, N.Y., especially during the Harlem Renaissance (1920s-1930s). There are views of parades, athletic teams, a Baptist group, a first-grade Harlem classroom, and the interior of Van Der Zee's studio, as well as fictionalized settings and poses conveying hopes, dreams, and humorous situations. Included is a self-portrait of the photographer playing the violin, circa 1930. Other subjects include an elegant couple in raccoon coats; a 1923 soldier; the New York Black Giants baseball team; a female impersonator; a man in an open funeral casket with a superimposed poem extolling fatherhood; a group of African American Hebrews in front of the Moorish Zionist Temple; Marcus Garvey in regalia during a parade; a Garveyite with his son; entrepreneurs Madam C.J. Walker and her daughter A'Lelia in their "Dark Tower" salon with a large group of friends; boxer Jack Johnson; and a double exposure portrait of entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.
Prints are arranged in chronological order. The earliest images, from 1908, are of Van Der Zee's first wife and daughter, probably taken in Lenox, Massachusetts, Van Der Zee's birthplace, and a blacksmith, probably taken in Virginia, where Van der Zee spent some time before moving to New York.
The exhibit prints were created from original negatives chiefly from 1981-1983, under the supervision of James Van Der Zee until his passing in 1983. Others were printed around 1987 by his widow Donna Mussenden Van Der Zee. All prints bear titles, dates, edition information, and copyright on verso. Most are from runs of 250 limited edition prints created for various exhibits. Some are signed by the photographer.
The majority of the prints measure 10 x 12 inches (sheet dimensions); image sizes range from 10 1/8 x 8 to 10 x 2 5/8 inches.
Born in Lenox, Massachusetts on June 29, 1886, James Van Der Zee moved to Harlem, New York City as a young man, and had already established his own photography studio on West 135th Street by 1916; sometime in the early 1930s he moved his flourishing studio to 272 Lenox Avenue. He became one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance and was much sought after duek to his talent for portraiture.
in 1969 his work was featured in a 1969 Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, "Harlem on my Mind," after which, already in his eighties, he enjoyed a revitalized career and received many accolades. He received the Living Legacy Award from President Carter in 1978, and was named a fellow of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Van Der Zee died in Washington, D.C. on May 15, 1983, shortly after receiving an honorary doctorate from Howard University. His widow, Donna Mussenden Van Der Zee, manages the James Van Der Zee estate. His work is held by major U.S. cultural institutions and has been exhibited around the world.
