Iowa native Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) was a cultural critic, novelist and photographer, who used his trusty 35mm Leica camera to create portraits of an astounding number of artists. Look at a few below and see more here.

Cab Calloway, 1933.

Agnes de Mille, 1941.

Marlon Brando, 1948.

Harry Belafonte, 1954.

Carson McCullers, 1959.