couple, Harlem by James van Der zee

art 3

james van der zee was born in a (social class) black jamily in (state) in (yr)

middle-class; Massachusetts; 1886

artist, name, yr, material

where is the photo signed

under the left tire (van DER zee, NYC, 1932)

at (age), he moved to (state) to pursue a career as a (blank), being skilled in both (instrument) and (instrument) performance, and he played in the

20; new York; musician; violin; piano; Harlem orchestra

in (yr), he opened his own portrait studio in new york’s (city) neighborhood

1916; harlem

most of van der zee’s output was

photographic portraits

famous clients

adam Clayton powell Jr. and Marcus garvey

majority of clients were

ordinary Harlem residnets

what occasions was van der zee hired to take pics for (4)

engagements, weddings, family group portraits, glamor shots of well-dressed couples/individuals

many of van der zee’s clients were part of

the great migration

what legalized segregation and what did it restrict (4)

jim crow laws: geographical mobility, voting rights, edu oppurtunities, access to public spcaes

what is sometimes credited with sparking the first wave of immigrants

wwi

why is WWI credited with starting the first wave of immigrnats (2)

1) after 1917, war mobilization and recruiting soldiers increased the need for industrial laborers at home

2) after returning home from Europe, many black verterns were no longer willing to be second-class citizens in their own country

between wwi-wwii how many black people moved out of rural areas and into cities

2 mill

how many black people moved in 1940s-1960s

3-4 mill

historiam (name) writes that the great migration’s effects are “everywhere in urban life. (5 effects)”

isabelle wilkerson

1) configuration of cities

2) social geography of black and white neighborhoods

3) spread of housing projects

4) rise of well-scrubbed black middle class

5) waves of white flight suburbanization

when was couple, Harlem taken

1932

redlining policies

financial institutions can deny loans to applicants in particular areas of a city

neighborhoods names with large black populations (2)

detroit’s black bottom and chicago’s bronzeville

harlem renaissance

movement where African American arts, theater, and literature explored the diversity of black American experiences

how many black people lived in Harlem by 1925

175,000

other black cities (3)

washington DC, tulsa, San francisco

more encompassing term for the rise in black arts

new negro movement

new negro movement was named after

anthology of criticism, fiction, poetry, and art compiled by the sociologist and philosopher Alain locke

alain locke’s book was made when and what was it on

1925; concept of a “new negro” — upwardly mobile, educated, affluent, self-determining black population contrast with “old” experiences of subjugation, racism, enforced illiteracy, rural poverty

the new negro included what (thing and people who made it) (5)

poetry langston Hughes and countee Cullen, short stories by zora Neale hurston and Rudolph fisher, photos of African sculptures, drawings by Aaron Douglas, retellings of African American folktales, texts Abt sociology and politics by civil rights leader w.e.b. du Bois and Walter white

people who helped with the new negro (7)

langston Hughes, counter Cullen, zora Neale hurston, Rudolph fisher, web du Bois, Walter white, Aaron douglas

van Der zee catered to affluent consumers who wanted to show their status to project an air of (2)

sophistication and charimsa

msot of van der zee’s portraits were made in

the interior of his studio with elaborate painted backdrops

the backdrops often depicted

nature scenes, grand architectural settings

what is the background of couple harlem

street outside a row of grand brownstone houses

what is the car, where are the man and woman positioned

man in front seat of Cadillac and woman standing next to him

what are the man’s hands doing

delicately folded and rest in his lap

how does the woman pose

weight on left foot to create a gently swaying, elongated stance

the poses reflect

sprezzatura

self portrait of James van DER zee when

1918

man and woman’s facial expressions

man: meets photographer’s eye with a firm mouth and gently raised eyebrows

woman: smiling

what do the man and woman wear

full-length raccoon fur coats and fashionable hats —> dedicated to latest styles

what is the most striking emblem of the couple’s success

their car

which museum identifies the cadillac as a

museum of modern art identifies it as a custom limited-edition Cadillac v-16

cadillac v-16

went into production in 1930; only 4k made

chrome is where on the car

running board and spare wheel cover

early photogrpahic portraits were often

occupational in character = people bring tools/symbols of their work to mark their place in the social and economic heirarchy

the props and backdrops allowed clients to project who they are and

who they want to be

what became a way to gather and celebrate family members among black families in the (blank) yrs

photo albums; post-civil war

writer (name) recounts a black family album from the (part century), the “studio setting allowed sitters a means of escape: a space to assume other identities, social standings….”

cheryl finley

difference between Cunningham and van Der zee

van Der zee saw nothing wrong with forms of manipulation like retouching or splicing negatives as long as the results flattered the client and brought out their beauty

van DER zee continued to work until his style of portraiture fell out of fashion in what decade

1940s

artists and wife struggled with poverty and lack of recognition until his work was “rediscovered” due to

met exhibition in 1969

met show was called

harlem on my mind

why was Harlem on my mind controversial

it featured history of Harlem Renaissance mostly thru the eyes of European American artists and writers

after herlem on my mind closed what happened

met researcher worked with van der zee to preserve his photos and negatives for posterity

van DER zee died in

1983

before his death, he had a brief revival of his photographic business, shooting portraits of young black celebrities including

graffiti artist jean-michel basquiat