This work is an introduction to the American photographer James Van Der Zee. He is best known for the hundreds of photographs he took in New York's Harlem district between World War I and II. Working out of a commercial studio he opened in 1916, he specialized in portraits of celebrities and community leaders, families and children, wedding parties and social groups. During the 1920s and 1930s, he was the photographer of choice for some of Harlem's most distinguished residents and in 1924 he became the official photographer for Marcus Garvey and the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association). He provides us with a perception that his community was healthy, talented, and prosperous.