James Van Der Zee Establishes His Harlem Portrait Studio

By the early 1920s, James Van Der Zee had established himself as the principal photographer of Black Harlem life, operating out of his portrait studio and photographing families, funerals, churches, clubs, and cabarets. His formal, dignified portraits allowed African Americans to see themselves 'as the center of the universe,' nurturing racial pride. His archive, comprising tens of thousands of images, is the primary visual record of Black New York during the Harlem Renaissance.