1. Underwood & Underwood, Booker T. Washington, 1906
2. Doris Ulmann, James Weldon Johnson, c. 1925
3. Carl Van Vechten, Langston Hughes, 1932
4. David Attie, Lorraine Hansberry, c. 1960
5. Carl Van Vechten, Paul Robeson, 1933
6. Wayne F. Miller, Willard Motley, 1947
7. Anthony Barboza, James Baldwin, Author, 1975
8. Flip Schulke, Martin Luther King, Jr. Preaching at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 1963
9. Carl Van Vechten, Leontyne Price in Porgy & Bess, 1953
10. Carl Van Vechten, Avon Long as Sporting Life, Porgy & Bess, 1942
11. Carl Van Vechten, Geoffrey Holder, 1954
12. Lucien Walery, Feral Benga Diptych, c. 1925
13. Lucien Walery, Josephine Baker, c. 1925
14. Alfredo Valente, Katherine Dunham, c. 1940
15. Florence Homolka, Sammy Davis, Jr., c. 1960
16. Florence Homolka, Sammy Davis, Jr., c. 1950
17. Bob Willoughby, Louis Armstrong, 1950
18. Gjon Mili, Pearl Primus, c. 1943
19. Bob Willoughby, Miles Davis, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, 1950
20. Bob Willoughby, Lionel Hampton on Vibes, 1956
21. Flip Schulke, Harry Belafonte, c. 1960
22. Bob Willoughby, Dorothy Dandridge, c. 1955
23. Wallace Seawell, Nat King Cole, c. 1955
24. Chuck Stewart, Duke Ellington, 1955
25. Gordon Coster, Leadbelly, c. 1940
26. Wayne F. Miller, Billy Eckstine, 1948
27. Carl Van Vechten, Dizzy Gillespie, 1955
28. Anthony Barboza, Grace Jones, c. 1970
29. Wallace Seawell, Diana Ross & The Supremes, 1967
30. Anthony Barboza, Roberta Flack, Singer, c. 1970
31. Bob Willoughby, Lionel Hampton, 1956
32. Alfredo Valente, Ethel Waters, c. 1939
33. Carl Van Vechten, Joe Louis, 1941
34. Carl Van Vechten, Henry Armstrong, 1937
35. Flip Schulke, Ali Underwater, 1961
36. David Attie, Ralph Ellison in Harlem, 1966
37. United Press Photo, A Pitcher of Willie, 1958
38. Flip Schulke, Little Willie John's 'Fever,' 1956
39. Charlotte Brooks, Fats Domino, c. 1960
40. Bob Willoughby, Folksinger Odetta, Tin Angel Nightclub, San Francisco, Calif., USA, 1954
41. Florence Homolka, Josephine Baker, c. 1958
42. George Hoyningen-Huene, Josephine Baker, c. 1929
43. lfredo Valente, Paul Robeson, 'Othello,' 1939
44. Bob Willoughby, Big Jay McNeely, 1951
Keith de Lellis Gallery presents a group exhibition of portraits depicting distinguished African American figures of the 20th century. Included are famed musicians, actors, writers, boxers, and more. These artists were photographed by noted documentary and portrait photographers, including Flip Schulke, Chuck Stewart, Carl Van Vechten, and David Attie.
While some photographs are immediately recognizable, such as Schulke’s Ali Underwater, others may be unfamiliar. Lesser-known photographs of Sammy Davis Jr., Booker T. Washington, and other figures offer a new perspective on these familiar faces. The group of studio and environmental portraits range from formally composed sittings to dynamic action shots. Bob Willoughby’s image of Lionel Hampton mid-concert captures the energy and joy of the performer fully absorbed in his music. An equal energy emits from a passionate scene in which Martin Luther King Jr. delivers a sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, photographed by Flip Schulke. Conversely, Chuck Stewart’s studio portrait of Duke Ellington shows a calm yet playful subject wearing his heart (in the form of cufflinks) on his sleeve.
The images also dramatically range in scale, from Van Vechten’s intimate postcards to Barboza’s striking exhibition prints. A small Underwood portrait of Booker T. Washington invites the viewer to look closely at the studious man at work, the format suggesting a cabinet card of sorts. Barboza’s large, close-cropped portraits of Roberta Flack and Grace Jones give the observer the opportunity to focus on the details of their dimly-lit faces.
The photographers share an array of personalities and experiences through these portraits. The dignity, elegance, and commitment to their craft of those pictured is palpable in these exceptional photographs.
Light & Dark will be on view at the Keith de Lellis Gallery through March 21, 2019.