id: 161284
accession number: 1999.58
share license status: Copyrighted
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1999.58
updated: 2024-03-26 02:00:41.385000
Portrait of a Young Woman, 1936. James Van Der Zee (American, 1886–1983). Gelatin silver print; image: 24.2 x 19.4 cm (9 1/2 x 7 5/8 in.); paper: 25.3 x 20.3 cm (9 15/16 x 8 in.); matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Jane B. Tripp Charitable Lead Annuity Trust 1999.58
title: Portrait of a Young Woman
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: 1936
creation date earliest: 1936
creation date latest: 1936
current location:
creditline: The Jane B. Tripp Charitable Lead Annuity Trust
copyright:
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culture: America, 20th century
technique: gelatin silver print
department: Photography
collection: PH - American 1900-1950
type: Photograph
find spot:
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CREATORS
* James Van Der Zee (American, 1886–1983) - artist
James VanDerZee American, 1886-1983
Famous for his images of Harlem and its inhabitants, James VanDerZee was born in Lenox, Massachusetts. During his youth, he took portraits of family members and friends, and after various jobs in Lenox and New York City began work in 1911 as a photographic assistant in the portrait studio run by Charles Gertz in Hahne's department store in Newark, New Jersey. From 1912-15 VanDerZee operated a portrait studio in the Toussaint Conservatory of Art and Music, established by his sister Jennie.
Two years later VanDerZee opened a studio in Harlem and began making his memorable portraits. During the period of his greatest success, from the years of the Harlem Renaissance (1919-29) until World War II, he photographed the area's large African-American middle class, producing formal portraits of individuals, families, church and school groups, athletic organizations, women's clubs, fraternal organizations, weddings, funerals, and street scenes. He also photographed Harlem's celebrated artists, writers, singers, religious leaders, and politicians.
In 1924 VanDerZee became official photographer for Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association, documenting their conventions, rallies, and parades. He retired in the 1960s, but resumed photography for a brief period before his death. M.M.
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measurements: Image: 24.2 x 19.4 cm (9 1/2 x 7 5/8 in.); Paper: 25.3 x 20.3 cm (9 15/16 x 8 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
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inscriptions:
inscription: writen in negative: "VANDERZEE [signed]/ NYC/ 1936"
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art
opening date: 2007-06-24T00:00:00
Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007).
title: From Riches to Rags: American Photography in the Depression
opening date: 2017-08-13T04:00:00
From Riches to Rags: American Photography in the Depression. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 13-December 31, 2017).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
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PROVENANCE
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RELATED WORKS
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IMAGES