This portfolio of eighty-three photographs constitutes a stunning celebration of African American achievement in the twentieth century. Carl Van Vechten; a longtime patron of black writers and artists; took these photographs over the course of three decadesmdash;primarily as gifts to his subjects; such luminaries as W. E. B. Du Bois; Langston Hughes; Bessie Smith; Billie Holiday; Joe Louis; James Baldwin; Richard Wright; Ruby Dee; Lena Horne; and James Earl Jones.The photographs Rudolph P. Byrd has selected for this volume come from the James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection of Negro Arts and Letters; which Van Vechten established at Yale University. Byrd has arranged the images chronologically; according to the time at which each subject emerged as a vital presence in African American tradition.Complementing the photographs are a substantial introduction by Byrd; biographical sketches of each subject; and poems by the noted writer Michael S. Harper. The result is a volume of beauty and power; a record of black excellence that will engage and inform new generations.
#1684460 in eBooks 2009-07-01 2014-03-15File Name: B00J9JQQY2
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very thorough and informative!By A voracious readerIm passionate about statuary; and one of the things I love about London is the profusion of beautiful statuary. This book showcases a *huge* number of statues - accompanied by really nice photos - and it provides all of the pertinent information re: locales; plus interesting write-ups about the people portrayed. I own a smaller book - "Londons Monuments" - and it certainly provides lots of useful information; but this book is one that Ill want to save and peruse many times.
