Portrait of Sisters

1926

James Van Der Zee

Associated Names
James Van Der Zee

Artist, American, 1886 - 1983

In this sepia-toned photograph, three young girls are shown standing in a row. They all have black hair and light brown skin. The girl on the left is the tallest, and she has short, curly hair and wears a light-colored shirt with a wide collar, a knee-length skirt with a faint checkered pattern, knee-length socks, and boots. She wears a medallion-like necklace and gives us a wide smile. The middle girl, with long, wavy hair, is seated and holding a cardboard cutout or drawing. She wears a sweater over a checkered dress, tall socks, and boots. She is giving us a smaller smile, and her mouth is closed. The girl on the right has medium-length hair and wears the same outfit as the girl on the left, but has a black ribbon tied in a bow around her neck. She is also smiling widely at us. She is standing near a tall, covered table with a vase filled with flowers. The background is a painted backdrop that gives the impression of a column and curtained window on the right side. The floor is decorated with a black-and-white square pattern.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Robert B. Menschel Fund

  • Dimensions

    image/sheet: 17.6 × 12.5 cm (6 15/16 × 4 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2000.83.2

  • Copyright

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


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The Estate of James Van Der Zee; by inheritance to Donna Van Der Zee, New York; (Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York), by 1999; NGA purchase, 2000.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1993

  • Van Der Zee: Photographer, 1886 - 1983, The National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., October 22, 1993 - February 13, 1994.

2009

  • Harlem Renaissance, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, 2009, unnumbered catalogue.

2016

  • Intersections: Photographs and Videos from the National Gallery of Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2016 - 2017, unnumbered catalogue.

Bibliography

1993

  • Van Der Zee: Photographer, 1886 - 1983. Exh. cat. The National Portrait Gallery. Washington, D.C., 1993: 112 (right).

Inscriptions

signed by artist, lower right in negative: NYC [vertical] / VAN DER ZEE [vertical] / 1926; on verso, signed by artist, center in graphite: James Van Der Zee / 1926 / Sisters; artist's stamp center in black ink

Wikidata ID

Q64155558

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