• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Shopping
  • Design Hunting
  • New York Weddings
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • Motherhood
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Science of Us
  • Horoscopes
  • Ask Polly
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • The Cut Shop
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
in memory
May 28, 2014

Remembering Maya Angelou: A Life in Pictures

By Allison P. Davis and Emily Shornick

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet

Maya Angelou, who was born in St. Louis in 1928 and grew up against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South, went on to lead what seemed like infinite lives. She became San Francisco’s first black female street-car conductor at age 16; studied dance with Martha Graham; became a calypso dancer; traveled the world during the 1950s in a production of Porgy and Bess; and, of course, went on to be a world-renowned poet, author, activist, and scholar. She was a contemporary of Martin Luther King Jr. and Oprah, the recipient of both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts. And though Angelou’s influence spanned generations of black history, she never forgot the roots that inspired her cultural, academic, and political work.

She touched all corners of culture and history — who doesn’t remember the first time I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings or “And Still I Rise” entered their consciousness? Angelou, who died today at 86, lived a life so full it spanned six volumes of a memoir, but, as she once said, “life loves the liver of it.” What more would you expect? Click through our slideshow to see highlights of her inspiring life.

View
1 / 41 Photos
An early portrait, circa 1950.  Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Dressed for the Caribbean Calypso Festival, in 1957.  Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
A promotional portrait for her album, Miss Calypso, in 1957.  Photo: Gene Lester/Getty Images
A still from the movie Calypso Heat Wave, in 1957.  Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
With Dionne Warwick in Washington, D.C.  Photo: Eli Reed/Magnum Photos
Portrait of the poet, in 1970.  Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
In San Francisco, in 1970.  Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Hollywood, in 1971.  Photo: WF/Corbis
In New York, in 1974.  Photo: Wayne Miller/Magnum Photos
In 1976.  Photo: CSU Archives/Everett Collection
From Roots, which aired, in 1977.  Photo: ABC/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. / Getty Images
With Gloria Steinem on their way to the March on Washington, in 1983.  Photo: James M. Thresher/Getty Images
Portrait in Oakland, California, in 1984.  Photo: Christopher Felver/Corbis
In Washington, D.C., in 1986.  Photo: Corbis
At home in Pacific Palisades, California, in 1988.  Photo: Marlene Wallace/Getty Images
London, in the late 1980s.  Photo: Lennox Smillie/ Camera Press/Redux
Dancing with Amiri Baraka on the 89th birthday of Langston Hughes, New York, in 1991.  Photo: Chester Higgins; Jr./ The New York Times/ Redux
After reciting a poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," for Bill Clinton's Inauguration Day, Washington, D.C., 1993.  Photo: Visions of Ameri... After reciting a poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," for Bill Clinton's Inauguration Day, Washington, D.C., 1993.  Photo: Visions of America/Getty Images
With Toni Morrison in Winston-Salem, in 1994.  Photo: Will McIntyre/Getty Images
With Toni Morrison, Susan L. Taylor, Oprah Winfrey, Rita Dove, and Angela Davis in Winston-Salem, in 1994.  Photo: Will McIntyre/Getty Images
Making dinner for Toni Morrison and Rita Dove at home in Winston-Salem, in 1994.  Photo: Will McIntyre/Getty Images
With Oprah Winfrey in New York City, in 1996.  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
At the Essence Music Festival, in 1997.  Photo: Marc Brasz/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
With musicians Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson in New York, in 1997.  Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images
Portrait in London, in 1999.  Photo: Martin Godwin/Getty Images
With Bill Clinton after winning the National Medal of Arts, Washington, D.C., in 2000.  Photo: STEPHEN JAFFE/Getty Images
With two students at the Duke Ellington Honoree's reception. Washington, D.C., in 2000.  Photo: Rebecca D’Angelo/Corbis
With Coretta Scott King, in 2002.  Photo: KMazur/Getty Images
In her New York City apartment, in 2002.  Photo: New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images
At the CMT Awards, in 2004.  Photo: Mark Sullivan/Getty Images
With Common in New York City, in 2008.  Photo: Brian Ach/Getty Images
With Desmond Tutu in Washington, in 2008.  Photo: JIM YOUNG/Corbis
With Hillary Rodham Clinton at Wake Forest University, in 2008.  Photo: Charlotte Observer/Getty Images
Presenting in New York City, in 2008.  Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images
With Sigourney Weaver in New York City, in 2009.  Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
With Niecy Nash in New York City, in 2009.  Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images
At her 82nd birthday party in Winston-Salem, in 2010.  Photo: Steve Exum/Getty Images
With Lee Daniels and Jeff Majors at her 82nd birthday party in Winston-Salem, in 2010.  Photo: Steve Exum/Getty Images
With Robin Roberts for a Good Morning America segment on her cookbook, Great Food, All Day Long, in 2011.  Photo: Heidi Gutman/American Broadca... With Robin Roberts for a Good Morning America segment on her cookbook, Great Food, All Day Long, in 2011.  Photo: Heidi Gutman/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc./Getty Images
With Michelle Obama during the BET Honors ceremony, in 2012.  Photo: Kris Connor/Getty Images
With Tony Bennett in New York, in 2013.  Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images
1 / 41

Tags:

  • maya angelou
  • life in pictures
  • obit
  • r.i.p.
  • in memory
  • More

More Galleries

campaign trail Jan. 28, 2021
 The Best Fashion Campaigns From Spring 2021  This season’s best from Prada, Versace, Miu Miu, and more. 
By Florence O'Connor
in memoriam Dec. 30, 2020
30 Incredible Fashion Moments From Pierre Cardin  Remembering a creative visionary. 
By Andrew Nguyen
rest in power Dec. 23, 2020
A Photo Memorial for an Iconic Model  She passed away suddenly at the age of 50 this week. 
campaign trail Nov. 18, 2020
‘Tis the Season for New Fashion Ads  See the best ones from Gucci, Prada, Versace, and more. 
By Emily Burns
nyfw spring 2021 Oct. 26, 2020
How a Great Collection Comes Alive  Christopher John Rogers launched its first-ever online shop, along with a new campaign. 
By Andrew Nguyen
campaign trail Sept. 24, 2020
See the Fashion Campaigns for Fall 2020  From Prada, Michael Kors, Celine, Louis Vuitton, and more. 
By Andrew Nguyen
nyfw spring 2021 Sept. 22, 2020
See the Coach Spring 2021 Collection  Worn by Megan Thee Stallion, Kate Moss, Cole Sprouse, and more. 
By Andrew Nguyen
fashion Sept. 16, 2020
The Stunning Awkwardness of Face Masks on the Red Carpet  Celebrities tried to make the best of a strange situation at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. 
one word one shot Sept. 15, 2020
72 Designers on Their Spring/Summer Inspirations  Just in time for Fashion Week. 
By the Cut
red carpet Sept. 8, 2020
This Red Carpet Was Totally Surreal  But also amazing. See all the looks at the Venice Film Festival. 
By Emilia Petrarca and Andrew Nguyen
in memoriam Aug. 31, 2020
Remembering Chadwick Boseman on the Red Carpet  His style was bold, risk-taking, and always impeccable. 
the wedding files Aug. 21, 2020
The Design-Minded Couple Who Didn’t Want to Try Too Hard  The bride got a wonderful surprise the morning of her wedding. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files Aug. 14, 2020
A Costa Rica Wedding During the Rainy Season  Thunder roared during the toasts. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files Aug. 7, 2020
A San Francisco Wedding at a Big, Empty Pier  The bride changed into crushed-velvet pants for the disco-infused reception. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 31, 2020
An Elopement Among the Lupines in Iceland  The late afternoon was spent snapping photos near waterfalls and black beaches. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 24, 2020
A Pennsylvania Potluck for 280 People  “I looked at her for the first time and had this feeling like, You. I know you.” 
By Kaitlin Menza
milan fashion week July 22, 2020
Behind the Scenes at Gucci’s Virtual Show  Instead of models, members of the design team sported the eccentric collection. 
By Andrew Nguyen
the wedding files July 17, 2020
A Dance Party Under Puerto Rican Palm Trees  Bad Bunny blasted and pitorro flowed. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 10, 2020
A Zoom Wedding Only Two Digital Creatives Could Produce  The couple coordinated multiple video segments, breakout rooms, and a dance party. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 3, 2020
The Anti-Spectacle Wedding That Turned Into a Spectacle  Brooklyn Bridge Park was the site of their first date, proposal, and wedding. 
By Kaitlin Menza
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • We’re Hiring
  • Press
  • Trademark
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2021 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.