ENGL 281 Lecture Notes - Lecture 39: James Van Der Zee, Carl Van Vechten, Nigger Heaven
James Van Der Zee 1886-1983
Photographed some of America’s greatest African American stars and artists, but his greatest
accomplishments was illustrating black daily life
• Images of weddings, funerals, children playing in the street
o Filed a suit to reclaim
over 50,000 images of his
that were taken away when
he was evicted out of his
Harlem apartment
o Most of his
photographs are now in a
Museum as well as the Van
Der Zee Institute
o The Jazz aesthetic was
something that could come
and go as a result of changes that occur over a time
o Photography had the ability to arrest the human form: capture that specific moment
in a way that memories or fads cannot
▪ Photography was important because it was a claiming of their humanity in
terms of their existence and presence in that moment
Part of a broader movement that claims for that moment, but also for all times, in for people that
looks at that moment
• The message is not for that moment, but for future: this is the goal and design of
photography
o An extremely extroverted form, meaning that you had to pose for something
▪ Posing of financial ability, and a statement of self-confidence and awareness
For black families, those picture are extremely valuable
• Was a way to create a record of one’s family
o Most blacks do not have record of their family members
During the Harlem Renn, people are trying to make those connections back from their ancestry
• They understood that family members would look back at those photos in a near future
o Were capturing history: the moment in which black people came into their own
consciousness and make it their goal to establish their own identity via photographs
that no one can change
White people have forced black people to appropriate not only to a certain way of life nor own
them, but take up names that were not theirs’
o There is no other example of transgenerational naming in any other group In the US, where
the person enslaved was forced to take the name of the person that enslaved them
o It is a daily reminder to every person of color in the US that their names are not of Africa; a
landmark and indicator of servitude
o Naming flattened
o Photographs claim humanity beyond a name, that this is a new moment and new day
for black people
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Document Summary
Photographed some of america"s greatest african american stars and artists, but his greatest accomplishments was illustrating black daily life. Images of weddings, funerals, children playing in the street. Filed a suit to reclaim over 50,000 images of his that were taken away when he was evicted out of his. Harlem apartment: most of his photographs are now in a. For black families, those picture are extremely valuable: was a way to create a record of one"s family, most blacks do not have record of their family members. During the harlem renn black people fought vigorously not only to change the last names they were given, but also fought. It is through african american photography that you see trends and shifts of how photography was used. Carl van vechten 1880-1964: american writer and artistic photographer that became interested in promoting african american culture, visited harlem frequently and used his experiences to write his novel, nigger heaven (1926)
