On View
On viewObject number2009.91.17
The Heiress, Harlem
Artist
James Van Der Zee
(American, 1886 - 1983)
Date1938
Mediumgelatin silver print
Dimensionsimage: 7 3/8 × 9 1/2 in. (18.7 × 24.1 cm)
sheet: 12 1/2 × 15 in. (31.8 × 38.1 cm)
sheet: 12 1/2 × 15 in. (31.8 × 38.1 cm)
Credit LinePurchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor
Exhibition History"Framing Moments: Photography from KIA's Permanent Collection," KIA (Feb. 6 - May 16, 2021).
"American Realism: Visions of America 1900-1950," Muskegon Museum of Art (May 11 - August 27, 2023); Flint Institute of Arts (September 9 - December 30, 2023); KIA (January 21 - April 14, 2024).Label TextThis 1938 portrait demonstrates James Van Der Zee’s artistic and technical skills that made him a leading photographer in New York City for almost six decades. Beyond documenting the people and life of Harlem, images like this one promoted ideals of social equality and prosperity for emerging middle-and-upper-class African Americans.
Working during the Harlem Renaissance and the decades after, Van Der Zee taught himself to manipulate diffused light and soft-focus techniques, creating images that expressed his sitters’ dignity, ambition, and self-determination. He was one of several artists of that era whose images challenged prevailing racial stereotypes. The Heiress demonstrates this approach, conveying the idea that African Americans–and in this case a woman–are sophisticated intellectuals, cultural influencers, and economically savvy. Like countless others by Van Der Zee, this image illustrates the importance of representation and visibility in American society.
[Label Text: For the People: America at 250 Exhibition, June 27 - October 4, 2026]
