Harlem Merchant: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of an unidentified man selling merchandise in Harlem, New York. The man is featured at the center of the photograph. He is visible from the upper chest and is looking through a small opening. On either side of the man there are jars filled with a variety of objects. Below the man there are advertisements for Brown's Mule Chew, Days Work Chew, and Honey Cut Chew. Below the advertisements there are numerous objects on a shelf. Some of the objects are balm, Luden's Cough Drops, guns, packages, and cans. The back of the photograph is signed by photographer Morris Engel.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1937
• Photograph by: Morris Engel, American, 1918 - 2005
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Signed by: Morris Engel, American, 1918 - 2005
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 10 3/16 × 13 1/8 in. (25.9 × 33.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 5/8 × 13 5/8 in. (27 × 34.6 cm)
• Place depicted: Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Urban life
• Object number: 2017.48.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Orkin/Engel Film and Photo Archive
• 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: © Orkin/Engel Film and Photo Archive Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.