The Emperor Jones: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A feature film with the title The Emperor Jones. It consists of two (2) reels of black-and-white 16mm acetate film with optical sound.

The film follows Brutus Jones (Paul Robeson) who was recently hired as a Pullman porter. After inadvertently killing another man, Jones is imprisoned where he kills a guard for attacking another inmate. Brutus then flees to the Caribbean on a steam ship and settles on one of the islands where he befriends a local merchant, Smithers (Dudley Diggers).

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1933
• Directed by: Dudley Murphy, American, 1897 - 1968
• Subject of: Paul Robeson, American, 1898 - 1976
• Written by: Eugene O'Neill, American, 1888 - 1953
• Subject of: Dudley Digges, Irish, 1879 - 1947
• Subject of: Frank Henry Wilson, American, 1886 - 1956
• Subject of: Fredi Washington, American, 1903 - 1994
• Subject of: Ruby Elzy, American, 1908 - 1943
• Owned by: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 1): 26 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 950 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 2):
• Dimensions: Length (Film):
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place filmed: Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Surrey, Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Pullman Porters
• Object number: 2017.55.74.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
• 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: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.