Photograph of a theater marquee promoting Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song: Museum Object and Cultural History
Photograph of a theater marquee promoting Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song: Date: ca. 1971. Subject of: Loews Cineplex Entertainment, American, 1904 - 2006. Photograph by: Melvin Van Peebles, American, 1932 - 2021.
The object in the museum catalogue
A color photograph captured by Melvin Van Peebles of a movie theater marquee promoting its showing of Van Peebles' film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. The image depicts the marquee of the Loew's Holly Theater in Hollywood, California. "LOEW'S HOLLY" appears in white text against a red background at the very top of both sides of the two-sided, gold-edged marquee. The main part of the marquee has red text on a white background, reading [A FILM OF / MELVIN VAN PEEBLES / "SWEET SWEETBACK'S / BAADASSSSS SONG"]. The marquee appears above the street entrance of the red brick building and in front of the light grey-ish blue second-story facade. There is a white, arched panel with a black lantern-style light set into the center of the building. A handwritten inscription on the verso reads [Hollywood].
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date: ca. 1971
- Subject of: Loews Cineplex Entertainment, American, 1904 - 2006
- Photograph by: Melvin Van Peebles, American, 1932 - 2021
- Type: photographs
- Medium: dye and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
- Dimensions: H x W: 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (8.9 x 8.9 cm)
- Place depicted: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America
- Topic: African American
- Topic: Advertising
- Topic: Blaxploitation films
- Topic: Film
- Topic: Independent films
- Topic: Photography
- Object number: 2012.82.9.3
- Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- 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: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Sources
More in Movies
Keep reading
