The Van Vechten Paradox: The Harlem Renaissance, a White Man, and his Black Story American History

Carl Van Vechten, a best-selling novelist, archivist, photographer, and negrophile promoted black culture during the era known as the Harlem Renaissance, and beyond. The Harlem Renaissance was a black movement, but it needed whiteness in order to thrive. Carl Van Vechten embodied that necessary whiteness in ways that were multiple, fascinating, and contradictory. Emily Bernard, Professor of English and Ethnic Studies at the University of Vermont chronicles his life.