Poster for Carmen Jones: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Poster for the Swedish release of the film Carmen Jones depicting a drawing of a rose in the center of a burning flame against a black background. Next to the flame is a black-and-white image of a woman, Dorothy Dandridge. Standing with her hands on her hips and her head thrown back, she appears to be laughing. She wears a dark shirt and light colored skirt. Next to the figure is text in white letters that reads [Oscar Hammersteins / CARMEN / JONES / med / HARRY BELAFONTE / DOROTHY DANDRIDGE / PEARL BAILEY / OLGA JAMES - JOE ADAMS / PROD och REGI: OTTO PREMINGER / SCENARIO: HARRY KLEINER / MUSIK: GEORGES BIZET]. Along the bottom margin in red text are the words [CINEMASCOPE / FARG: DE LUXE]. Next to the cast list is a small black and white image of a man and a woman, Paul Robeson and Dorothy Dandridge, shown from the shoulders up.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1954
• Distributed by: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, American, founded 1935
• Subject of: Harry Belafonte Jr., American, 1927 - 2023
• Subject of: Dorothy Dandridge, American, 1922 - 1965
• Subject of: Pearl Bailey, American, 1918 - 1990
• Subject of: Olga James, American, born 1929
• Subject of: Joe Adams, American, 1924 - 2018
• Directed by: Otto Ludwig Preminger, Austrian American, 1905 - 1986
• Type: posters
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W: 39 3/8 × 27 1/2 in. (100 × 69.8 cm)
• Place used: Stockholm, Sweden, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Hollywood (Film)
• Topic: Musical films
• Topic: Opera (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.118.24
• 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: © 1954 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.