Group Portrait, Church of God, Harlem 1933

James Van Der Zee created this gelatin silver print, titled "Group Portrait, Church of God, Harlem" in the early 20th century. Van Der Zee was a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance, using his photography to document and celebrate the lives of African Americans in New York City. This image encapsulates the social fabric of Harlem at the time, revealing the cultural and religious institutions that served this community. The children of the Church of God are pictured in front of a funeral home, which speaks to the realities of life and death in the community. The image also subtly critiques the institutions of art. Van Der Zee was excluded from the mainstream art world, so he created his own space as a commercial photographer who elevated Black subjects to the level of art. To understand this image more fully, a historian might consider sources like census records, church archives, and newspapers, to understand the social and economic context in which it was created.