Description
James Van Der Zee was once just a young boy when he saved enough money to shop for his first camera. He took photos of his circle of relatives, classmates, and somebody who would sit down still for a portrait. By the fifth grade, James was once the school photographer and unofficial town photographer. Sooner or later he outgrew his small town and moved to the exciting, fast-paced world of New York City. After being told by his boss that nobody would want his or her photo taken -by a black man, – James opened his own portrait studio in Harlem. He took photographs of legendary figures of the Harlem Renaissance–politicians such as Marcus Garvey, performers including Florence Mills, Bill -Bojangles- Robinson, and Mamie Smith–and bizarre folks in the community too. Everyone wanted fancy portraits by James Van Der Zee. Winner of Lee & Low’s New Voices Award, Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee! tells the story of a groundbreaking artist who chronicled the most important era in Harlem and showed the beauty and pride of its people.