James Van Der Zee (1886-1983) was born in Lenox, Massachusetts to Elizabeth and John Van Der Zee. He moved to Harlem with his father and brother in 1906. Growing up he worked as a waiter and elevator operator before getting a job as a darkroom assistant and then as a portraitist. He was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance and was best known for his carefully posed portraits of family units and of black New Yorkers. His work was in high demand partly due to his experimentation and skill in double exposures, retouching negatives, and the ability to achieve an aura of glamour in his photographs. Van Der Zee produced the most comprehensive documentation of this period.