He was a novelist, dance critic, and supporter of the arts and of artists, but Carl Van Vechten is today known best for his photographs of writers, artists, and performers. He worked for the old Vanity Fair and for other publications, producing a vast body of work which included almost everyone who achieved prominence in the arts during the half-century in which he was active. He brought the Harlem Renaissance and its creators to attention through his writings and photos, and by actualy bringing people to Harlem. He and his wife Fania Marinoff provided financial support and friendship to Alice B. Toklas during the long years in which she lived alone and neglected in Paris after the death of Gertrude Stein.