Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem: The Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava

Roy DeCarava was a photographer who chronicled life in Harlem, New York, from the 1940s onwards. The son of a single mother, Roy was encouraged to study art and music. He took his camera with him as he went to and from work on the subway and walked in the city, taking pictures of everyday life in Harlem. He worked with the available light rather than using a flash or other added light, resulting in dark, saturated photographs that showed the richness of Harlem. He even used this technique in the dark jazz clubs to photograph the musicians and singers of the time.

Author Gary Golio paints a picture of DeCarava’s early life in Harlem with a simple, conversational text and a few quotes from DeCarava, but the real meat of DeCarava’s story is to be found in the back matter, with an extensive author’s note, a timeline of his life, and a good bibliography. Illustrator E.B. Lewis has filled the pages with nice sepia-toned stylized paintings. What’s missing from this otherwise good biography is any examples of DeCarava’s photographs. There are, fortunately, plenty of them available online for youngsters who choose to find them.