?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 3,000 - $ 5,000
JAMES VANDERZEE (1886 - 1983) Father Divine.
Oversize silver print, 1934. 330x255 mm; 13x10 inches. Signed, titled, dated and inscribed by Vanderzee in the negative. With the artist's "G. G. G. Photo Studio" ink stamp verso.
George Baker (c. 1880 – September 10, 1965), known as "Father Divine" or "God at 20 West 115th Street", was one of the popular evangelists and religious leaders photographed by Vanderzee in Harlem. Baker moved to Harlem in 1932 from Sayville, Long Island. His controversial ministry became a populist force with the appeal of its evangelical message and "heavens," complete with hotels and soup kitchens. "Father Divine" was called a cult leader for his outrageous claims of divinity, but his International Peace Mission Movement bridged the gap between Marcus Garvey and later nationalist movements in the Harlem community. Lewis p. 97.
