WASHINGTON — Photographer James Van Der Zee (1886–1983) created an extraordinary chronicle of Black life in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood during the first half of the 20th century. On view from November 28, 2021, through May 30, 2022 at the National Gallery of Art, James Van Der Zee’s Photographs: A Portrait of Harlem presents some 40 works from the institutional collection, providing a window into life in the historic neighborhood during the Harlem Renaissance and beyond. Harlem residents flocked to Van Der Zee’s studio to mark milestones in their lives, posing for portraits against elaborate backdrops. The exhibition highlights these portraits, as well as photographs of the community, revealing how Van Der Zee’s pictures, and the photographer himself, played a formative role in the community life of Harlem.