James Van Der Zee was a pioneering African American photographer born in 1886. He opened his own photography studio in Harlem in 1916 called Guarantee Photo, later renaming it GGG Studio. Van Der Zee photographed many prominent figures during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s-1930s, capturing African American culture and community life. Though he struggled during the Great Depression, his photos provided an important documentation and perspective that was not widely seen before. Van Der Zee left behind over 75,000 photos before his death in 1983 at age 96, cementing his legacy as an influential photojournalist.