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[Wig]

James Van Der Zee American

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 852

Among James Van Der Zee’s myriad gifts as a portraitist was his finesse for photographing hair. In sensitive likenesses of Harlem society, he carefully lit clients’ coiffures for maximum luster and sheen. Advertising supplemented Van Der Zee’s practice, and his point-blank pictures of wigs suggest the commercial possibilities of this particular talent. New York was an epicenter of the hair trade in the United States, with many local wigmakers achieving national distribution. In advertisements and mail-order catalogues, photographs accentuated the lifelike body and bounce of their wares. Van Der Zee poses the hairpieces against blank backdrops for easier incorporation into a graphic design. Depending on the ads’ success, it is possible that the wigs might have someday returned to his studio, atop unsuspecting portrait subjects.

[Wig], James Van Der Zee (American, Lenox, Massachusetts 1886–1983 Washington, D.C.), Gelatin silver print

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[Wig], James Van Der Zee (American, Lenox, Massachusetts 1886–1983 Washington, D.C.), Gelatin silver print
[Wig], James Van Der Zee (American, Lenox, Massachusetts 1886–1983 Washington, D.C.), Gelatin silver print

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