Carl Van Vechten: 'O, Write My Name': American Portraits, Harlem Heroes by Carl Van Vechten

Portraits of 50 pioneering figures of the Harlem RenaissanceThis elegantly designed and beautifully produced volume presents portraits of 50 extraordinary individuals who contributed to making the Harlem Renaissance one of the great cultural movements in American history. Some of the subjects are familiar―icons of music, dance, theater, literature, art, academia and sports―while others are considerably less well known, but equally important to the spirit at the heart of the movement.The photographs show the sitters not only as public personalities but also as private citizens. They ennoble without flattery, and benefit from the insight that their friendship with Van Vechten engendered. Carl Van Vechten (1880–1964) was a well-known and controversial figure during his lifetime. He was a celebrated dance critic, novelist, photographer and friend of Harlem. In his introduction to the book, Darryl Pinckney writes of Van Vechten, "He recreated himself as an artist and he became a portrait ph