A black-and-white photograph of a Black woman in a rocking chair, holding a rolling pin on her lap, waiting at a front door.

Just Before the Battle

James Van Der Zee (1886-1983)

Date

1920s-1940s
Object Type

Photographs
Medium

Gelatin silver print
Dimensions

Image: 9 11/16 x 7 11/16 in.
Sheet: 10 x 8 1/16 in.
Inscriptions

Recto:
l.l. in negative: Photo by \ VANDERZE \ 109 W 135 \ N.Y.C.
l.c. in negative: JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE
l.r. in negative: Sold \ Only By \ Florence Art \ 139 W 135
Verso:
u.l. sticker: B/E
l.l. in graphite: PF 1709
Credit Line

Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
Accession Number

P1991.7.5
Copyright

© James Van Der Zee Archive, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Medium and Its Metaphors

March 3–September 2, 2012

This exhibition spans the history of photography, pairing photographs from the Carter’s collection with important metaphors from the same time period that were used to describe the medium’s unique qualities.

Location: Off view

See more by James Van Der Zee

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