Banjo: A Story without a Plot: Museum Object and Cultural History
Banjo: A Story without a Plot: Date: 1929. Written by: Claude McKay, Jamaican American, 1889 - 1948. Illustrated by: Aaron Douglas, American, 1899 - 1979.
The object in the museum catalogue
The first American edition of Claude Mckay's novel Banjo published by Harper and Brothers in 1929, with illustrations by Aaron Douglas. The book has a dark blue and red printed cover. The dust jacket features an illustration of black silhouetted figures against a deep red background. One figure plays a banjo on the edge of a dock to dancing figures below. A city scape is in the background. The title and author are printed at the top: [BANJO / CLAUDE McKAY]. A paper bookplate printed with an illustration of two owls and the name [Reuben J. Brown] is adhered to the inside cover.
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date: 1929
- Written by: Claude McKay, Jamaican American, 1889 - 1948
- Illustrated by: Aaron Douglas, American, 1899 - 1979
- Published by: Harper & Brothers, American, 1817 - 1962
- Type: hardcover books
- Medium: ink on paper
- Dimensions: H x W x D: 7 3/16 × 5 7/16 × 1 3/4 in. (18.3 × 13.8 × 4.4 cm)
- Topic: African American
- Topic: Art
- Topic: Literature
- Object number: 2015.34.1
- 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: Cover: © Aaron Douglas Foundation/Licensed by Visual Artists & Galleries Association, Inc (VAGA), New York, NY Book: © 1929 Haper & Brothers Renewed © 1957 Hope McKay Virtue Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
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