Excited to share that our exhibition at the New York Historical Society opens this Friday, August 19th! 🤩 Opening this Friday: Kwame Brathwaite's (@kwamebphoto) photography helped popularize the “Black is Beautiful” movement. ⁣ ⁣ Brathwaite preferred black-and-white photography and using available light to capture the mood of a performance or onlookers. Brathwaite’s camera could only take 12 pictures at a time, so he would wait, letting the moment unfold and blending in with his surroundings before taking the picture. ⁣ ⁣ His night club photos evoked the radical spirit of jazz. He also promoted a “Think Black, Buy Black” message by documenting the Black-owned businesses and political activism thriving on the streets of Harlem in New York City. ⁣ ⁣ "Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite" is on view August 19, 2022 through January 15, 2023. ⁣ ⁣ 📷 Kwame Brathwaite, Man smoking in a ballroom, Harlem, ca. 1962. Courtesy the artist and Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles #blackisbeautiful #ajass #grandassas #thekwamebrathwaitearchive #aperture