JAMES VANDERZEE (1886–1983) was Harlems leading photographer from 1916 onwards when he opened his studio Guarantee Photos. VanDerZees photo-graphic range was wide – he made portraits and photographed weddings and public events – and it was this hybrid style which attracted the attention of photo-graphic audiences in the 1990s. Many of his works were featured in the important 1969 exhibition of African-American art Harlem on my Mind at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.