[Young Woman Cradling "Positively NO TRUST" Sign]

James Van Der Zee American

Not on view

James Van Der Zee is known as the great chronicler of life in Harlem in the 1920s, but he also had a bustling commercial studio into the 1930s and 1940s in which he made advertising images for black owned businesses. This charming photograph is his version of a "No Trust" sign--a then common commercial sign (referred to by Herman Melville in his 1857 novel "The Confidence Man") reminding patrons that the establishment does keep tabs or credit.

[Young Woman Cradling "Positively NO TRUST" Sign], James Van Der Zee (American, Lenox, Massachusetts 1886–1983 Washington, D.C.), Gelatin silver print

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.