Portrait of Madame Evanti (Lillian Tibbs) c. 1934

This striking photograph of Madame Evanti was taken by Addison Scurlock sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. The sepia tone gives it an antique feel, but the subject, a celebrated opera singer, is timeless. What strikes me is the layering, the way the image unfolds. Madame Evanti is dressed in a gorgeous gown, but the backdrop, with its own ornate details, competes for attention. There’s a tension there, between the posed portrait and the sense of a lived-in space. Look at the folds of her dress, and the way the light catches the fabric. It's like a dance, the way Scurlock uses light and shadow to create depth and texture. You can almost feel the weight of the fabric, the plushness of the carpet. Scurlock's work reminds me a little of James Van Der Zee, another chronicler of the Harlem Renaissance, in the way he captured the dignity and style of his subjects. But Scurlock has his own unique way of letting the image breathe. There’s a sense of possibility here, a feeling that there's always more to see.