Vogue made a historic move last year with their Beyoncé cover. For the first time in their 125-year history, they allowed a black photographer to capture the front page shot of their magazine. The stunning image came from 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell, an Atlanta-born artist who Beyoncé wanted to work with for the coveted shoot.
The young photographer was thrust into the limelight for capturing the golden photo of Bey wearing a Valentino dress and Philip Treacy London crown. He's continued to develop as an artist and now his history-making work has been acquired by the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.
Sharing the news on Instagram, Mitchell wrote, "A year ago today we broke the flood gates open. Since then it was important to spend the whole year running through them making sure every piece of the gate was knocked down. And now I’m glad to share this picture is being acquired into the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection."
The Smithsonian responded in the comments with excitement, saying that they can't wait to get the image on display. Beyoncé previously shared why she decided to work with Mitchell above all of the other well-known, sought-after, and established photographers in the industry. “Until there is a mosaic of perspectives coming from different ethnicities behind the lens, we will continue to have a narrow approach and view of what the world actually looks like,” the singer said. “That is why I wanted to work with this brilliant 23-year-old photographer Tyler Mitchell.”
