Taj Mahal: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of Taj Mahal, by Platon. Taj Mahal is depicted seated, holding a banjo in playing position. He is turned in three-quarters pose towards the left edge pf the photograph and shown from the thighs up. His chin is tilted towards his chest and he is looking sideways towards the viewer with a serious expression on his face. He is wearing a black, banded, Stetson style hat, and a black, pinstripe suit over a dark tone dress shirt. The banjo is resting in his lap with his proper left hand wrapped around the banjo neck and his fingers arranged in a chord position over the frets. The perspective of this photograph is taken from the top of the headstock which appears disproportionately large in the foreground. Printed at the top of the headstock is arched text that reads [Gold Tone] with a graphic of a five pointed star below. The background of the photograph is bright white. The photograph has a thick white border. The edition number, [5/12], is printed in the bottom left corner. The photographer’s signature and date, [Platon 19], is handwritten in the bottom right corner. Inside the border, at the bottom center, is the photographer’s embossed mark: [PLATON ? / EDITIONED ? / PRINT ?[encircled between two bands of embossed dots]]. The back of the photograph is plain and white.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2011; printed 2019
• Photograph by: Platon, British, born 1968
• Subject of: Taj Mahal, American, born 1942
• Type: pigment prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: pigment on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 19 7/8 × 20 in. (50.5 × 50.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (matted): 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
• Place printed: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Blues (Music)
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2021.33.55
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Platon
• 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: © Platon Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.