Dandy Lion: (Re) Articulating Black Masculine Identity

Black dandyism is not new; originating in England’s Age of Enlightenment slave culture, it has continued for generations in black cultures around the world. Now, set against the backdrop of hip-hop culture, the newest iteration of dandies is defying stereotypes and redefining what it means to be black, masculine, and fashionable.

*Photo by British Ghanaian photographer Arteh Odidja

Described as “high-styled rebels” by author Shantrelle P. Lewis, black men with a penchant for color and refined fashion, have gained popular attention in recent years, influencing mainstream fashion. But black dandyism is not new; originating in Enlightenment England’s slave culture, it has continued for generations in black cultures around the world. Now, set against the backdrop of hip-hop culture, this iteration of dandies is redefining what it means to be black, masculine, and fashionable. Throughout the book, self-expression is communicated through personal style, clothing, shoes, hats, and swagger. Lewis’s carefully curated selection of contemporary photographs surveys the movement across the globe. Take a look at some of these images selected by Lewis which are featured in her book and photography exhibitions.

This image of style blogger, Martell Campbell, was taken by photographer Sara Shamsavari in London in 2014.

Sapeurs posing in front of Memorial Savorgnan de Brazz was taken in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo in 2008 by Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni.

A student of art history, Tamagni began photographing street style and subcultures around the world in 2007. His project on the immaculately dressed dandies of the Congo, known as Sapeurs, won the Young Photographers Canon Award in 2007.

A Revolution in Etiquette - Connoiseurs of SWAG was taken in 2010 by American photographer Hanif Abdur-Rahim.

Ubiquitous SWAG taken in 2010 by American photographer Hanif Abdur-Rahim.

Photo of Ouigi Theodore, founder and creative director of The Brooklyn Circus, taken in Providence, Rhode Island in 2013 by American photographer Rose Callahan.

Photo of American actor, playwright and director Colman Domingo taken in 2013 in London, England by British Iranian photographer Sara Shamsavari.

This photo of menswear model Ignacio Quiles was taken in New York, NY in 2012 by American photographer Rose Callahan.

Stranger in Moscow, Red Square taken in Moscow, Russia by British Ghanaian photographer Arteh Odidja. Odidja is a commercial fashion, portraiture and fine art photographer and educator, based in London.

Stranger in Moscow, Kremlin taken in Moscow, Russia by British Ghanaian photographer Arteh Odidja. Odidja is a commercial fashion, portraiture and fine art photographer and educator, based in London.

For Every Strong Woman, There Are Strong Men was taken in Khumbula, South Africa in 2014 by South African photographer Harness Hamese.

Photo Bafana Mthembu and Andile Biyana, entitled Give Thanks To Thoughtful Hands, was taken in Khumbula, South Africa in 2013 by South African photographer Harness Hamese.

Photograph of Alanzo taken in 2010 by American photographer Russell Frederick.

This image of photographer, performance artist and author Ike Ude was taken in his studio in New York City in 2013 by American photographer Rose Callahan.

Photograph of Kingsley taken in 2010 by American photographer Russell Frederick.

Ambrotype - Untitled 1 by American photographer Jody Ake. Ake creates portraits, nudes, still lifes and landscape images using the wet collodion process.

Ambrotype - Untitled 5 by American photographer Jody Ake. Ake creates portraits, nudes, still lifes and landscape images using wet collodion process, an historic photographic technique using a large format camera, glass plates, and hand-mixing the necessary chemicals for every exposure.

Shantrelle P. Lewis, author and curator, talks with Leatrice Ellzy Wright, executive director of Hammonds House Museum, on the opening night of Lewis' exhibit Dandy Lion in 2019.

Shantrelle P. Lewis is an independent curator based out of Brooklyn and Philadelphia. She was a 2014 United Nations Program for People of African Descent Fellow and a 2012–13 Andy Warhol Curatorial Fellow. Lewis has curated exhibitions for institutions including the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts in Brooklyn; Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore; the African American Museum in Philadelphia; and Hammonds House Museum in Atlanta.