Photograph of Jack Oakie and Jesse Owens: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Jesse Owens and Jack Oakie. Both Owens and Oakie are crouched on the ground, posing in a runner's four point start position. Owens, depicted on the left, is wearing a light colored suit, with a striped tie, and a flower in his proper left lapel. Oakie is wearing a black tuxedo, a black bow tie, and a white flower in his proper left lapel. They are posing on a sidewalk in front of a large wooden door. The image is bordered with white and along bottom is centered black text that reads, [Copr. 1935, Paramount Productions, Inc. Permission granted for Newspaper and Magazine reproductions. (Made in U.S.A.)]. A handwritten inscription in blue pencil on the back reads, [Jack Okie [sic] / & / Jessie [sic] Owens].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1935
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Distributed by: Paramount Pictures, American, founded 1912
• Subject of: Jesse Owens, American, 1913 - 1980
• Subject of: Jack Oakie, American, 1903 - 1978
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 9 3/16 × 7 1/2 in. (23.3 × 19 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 × 8 1/8 in. (25.4 × 20.7 cm)
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Comedy
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Hollywood (Film)
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2013.46.25.104
• 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.