The National Gallery of Art is preparing to present Remember Me: Picturing African Americans in Early Photography, an exhibition that reframes the early history of the medium through Black self-expression, identity, and authorship.
Photography emerged in the 19th century as a costly and highly staged art form, which means many surviving images from the period reflect only a narrow social record. This exhibition broadens that view by bringing together around 70 works made of and by African Americans, revealing portraits that speak to family life, style, ambition, and personal agency.
Among the formats on view are daguerreotypes, tintypes, ambrotypes, gelatin silver prints, and cabinet cards, including several colorized examples and original presentation cases. The selection also features work by pioneering Black photographer James Van Der Zee, whose Harlem studio helped define a new visual language for Black modern life in the early 20th century.
By placing these images in one setting, the exhibition offers a richer understanding of how Black Americans used photography not only to be seen, but to shape how they were remembered. Remember Me opens on November 7 and runs through March 14 in Washington, D.C.
This exhibition may help inspire a more inclusive visual history for future generations.
