Digital film still of Ryan Coogler with Dora Milaje on the set of Black Panther: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A digital film still of Ryan Coogler and actors on the set of the film Black Panther.

Coogler is pictured standing in a shallow pool of water facing the Dora Milaje and other actors in character, who stand facing him on the rocky shore. Coogler wears a blue and grey knit hat, a navy jacket over a black t-shirt and grey jeans, with tall black boots. He is gesturing with his proper right hand held out in front of him. Three unidentified crew members are to his proper right, facing away from the camera. On the shore facing him are eight (8) actors dressed as Dora Milaje warriors, wearing bodices and wrap skirts made of woven red and gold fabric over black leggings with beaded shell belts and necklaces and arm bands of stacked silver rings in the style of the Ndebele tribe's idzila. They also wear necklaces of large orange beads, blue and gold ankle bracelets, and brown leather sandals. They hold spears in their right hands. Partially visible in front of the Dora Milaje actors the white Zulu basket hat worn by Angela Bassett as Ramonda is just visible. Next to Bassett is Letitia Wright as Shuri, wearing a colorfully beaded neck and chestplate. At the top left of the image is Sope Aluko, as the character Shaman. Dressed in purple robes and head wrap with gold face paint and large silver earrings, Aluko has T'Challa's beaded panther claw necklace draped over her proper right arm and holds a small black ceremonial bowl in front of her chest with both hands. She is looking towards the other actors. On the left edge of the image is the back of a crewmember dressed in a blue jacket.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2017
• Photograph by: Matt Kennedy
• Produced by: Marvel Worldwide, Inc., American, founded 1939
• Directed by: Ryan Kyle Coogler, American, born 1986
• Distributed by: The Walt Disney Company, American, founded 1923
• Subject of: Ryan Kyle Coogler, American, born 1986
• Subject of: Angela Bassett, American, born 1958
• Subject of: Letitia Michelle Wright, Guyanese British, born 1993
• Subject of: Sope Aluko, British American, born 1975
• Type: film stills
• Type: digital images
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: H x W: 4000 pixels × 6000 pixels
• Dimensions: File size: 68.7 MB
• Place captured: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Comics and graphic novels
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Hollywood (Film)
• Topic: Mass media
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2018.39.3.18
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company, © Marvel/ Matt Kennedy
• 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: © Marvel/ Matt Kennedy Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.