This collection documents Americans grappling with the question of their country's cultural contribution to the world in the early twentieth century. Van Vechten's portraits of expatriates such as Gertrude Stein, Richard Wright, and Henry Miller evidence one group's faith in Europe as the cultural center of the world and its dissatisfaction with American culture. However, these portraits also document the rise of New York City as an international cultural center and the growth of artistic movements rooted in America, such as jazz, the blues, and the Harlem Renaissance. Students can use this collection to learn more about the different sides to the issue of America's cultural contribution, study the history of this issue in other sources, and form some conclusions of their own about the value of American culture. Helpful books for older students include Malcolm Cowley's Exhile's Return and Michael Kammen's Mystic Chords of Memory .
Students can use the following questions in their study.
Portrait of Henry Miller, 1940. Students may want to research leaders of the American Renaissance such as Emerson, Hawthorne, Whitman, and Dickinson. African Americans originated the traditions of the blues, jazz, and American popular music. Because the majority of Van Vecthen's portraits are of lesser-known artists, this collection lends itself to numerous research projects. Students have only to browse the collection until they find someone they would like to learn more about.