"Harlem On My Mind"
1. James Van Der Zee2. 1886-1983
3. James was born in Lenox, Massachusetts where he attended school. Later he had moved to New York working as a waiter and elevator operator. For six years James played in Fletcher Henderson's band and the John Wanamaker Orchestra. The orchestra had silent filming which attrached James towards photography. In 1916, he opened up a studio in Harlem. Also, working as a photo-journalist and as a portrait/society photographer.
4. "His photographs of Harlem show it, not as a ghetto, but as a part of the city of New York, with its own unique character which has been said to be romanticized but in spite of that forms an important historical record which is now kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art." -Anne Darling
James was known for taking photographs of African Americans of all social classes. His thousands of pictures were mostly located in Harlem where he focused of the city's beauty and the people. His main subjects were indoor portriats. He took pictures for weddings, funerals, family groups, teams, and people that just wanted a photo of theirselves in dressy clothing or known as their Sunday's best dress.
5. I like James' work because when I look at his photo I feel at home. Not being from Harlem but growing up in cities much similar I can relate. His focus usually targets on African American dressed up. It reminds me of being at church, seeing the older women have these huge fancy hats and classy decked out dresses every Sunday service. Also, the little girls dancing reminds me of myself when I was younger and my dad would videotape me dancing around the house. By looking at his photographs it brings back memories, which have drawn me into his work even more.
 |
| Basketball Team c. 1939 |
 |
| Dancing Girls n/a |
 |
| Untitled (Lady posing for the camera) n/a |
 |
| American Legioneer, District of Columbia, 1937 |
No comments:
Post a Comment