James Augustus Van Der Zee (1886 - 1983)

Born 29 Jun 1886 in Lenox, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States

Died 15 May 1983 at age 96 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

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Biography

James Van Der Zee is Notable.

James Van Der Zee was a photographer best known for his portraits of Black New Yorkers. He was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Aside from the artistic merits of his work, Van Der Zee produced the most comprehensive documentation of the period.^[1]

His photography studio business in Harlem boomed during World War I, and the portraits he shot from the interwar period have demanded the majority of attention. In 1919, he photographed the victory parade of the returning 369th Infantry Regiment, a predominantly African American unit sometimes called the "Harlem Hellfighters." During the 1920s and 1930s, he produced hundreds of photographs, especially portraits, of Harlem's growing middle class.

In 1969, Van Der Zee gained worldwide recognition when his work was featured in the controversial exhibition Harlem on My Mind at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Van Der Zee died in Washington, D.C. on May 15, 1983. He was buried at Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum, Manhattan, New York. In 1984, Van Der Zee was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum. Ten years after his death, the National Portrait Gallery exhibited his work as a posthumous tribute.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia Entry for Wikipedia: James Van Der Zee

• Howard Greenberg Gallery: James Van Der Zee
• International Photography Hall of Fame
• James Van Der Zee, Minneapolis Institute of Art
• Find A Grave: Memorial #19512604
• David Bianco, "James Van Der Zee." Contemporary Black Biography. Encyclopedia.com, CENGAGE.