Cab Calloway Home Movie: Haiti: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This silent, color, home movie was shot by Cab Calloway while on a music tour in Haiti in 1951. It consists of an original 16mm film strip (a) on an original 100-foot film reel (b) and is housed in an original 100-foot film box (c).

The film begins with footage of Cab Calloway and his band onstage playing. The band consists of a piano player, a brass section, a bass player, and a drummer in addition to Calloway. They appear to be ending a performance. The next scene shows the same stage, with a different band playing. This band has a percussion section with maracas, a drum and two other percussion instruments. There is also a guitar player. The next scene shows three people in front of a stage with a colorful background. The woman in the middle appears to be Nuffie Calloway, Cab Calloway's wife. The camera then pans to a seating area and some men setting up tables. The next scene is shot from a mountain overlooking a city. There is footage of four children and a man in front of a building, and footage of a marketplace with people selling objects carved from wood. The next scene shows a bust of Toussaint L'Ouverture on a column with another statue below the bust reaching up to it. The next scene shows the exterior of the Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince as well as a busy street scene. The film concludes with footage of the exterior of Holy Trinity Cathedral, and the sign with the name of the church and schedule of services in English and French.

An original 100-foot cardboard film box (2013.237.20.1c). The cardboard box is brown and has a handwritten address and a postal stamp on the back.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1951
• Created by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Subject of: Presidential Palace, Haitian
• Subject of: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Haitian, founded 1924
• Type: silent films
• Type: home movies
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film with metal and cardboard
• Dimensions: Length: 122 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (digital file): 4 min., 6 sec.
• Place filmed: Port-au-Prince, Ouest, Haiti, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Travel
• Object number: 2013.237.20.1abc
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cabella Calloway Langsam
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Cabella Calloway Langsam Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.