Blessed Assurance: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A 33 1/3 rpm record album titled Blessed Assurance recorded by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The vinyl record (2014.98.11a) has a black label with gold lettering. The front cover of the album sleeve (2014.98.11b) is purple with a large, stylized cross across it in lighter purple, with a black outline illustration iof an angel in the top left corner and a black and white photographic portrait of Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the bottom left corner. Only her head is pictured and she is smiling and looking at the camera. Printed across the center of the cross is the text [BLESSED ASSURANCE / Gospel Hymns sung by / SISTER ROSETTA THARPE / with the Rosettes and organ accompaniment]. This is followed by a track listing down the bottom center of the album [BLESSED ASSURANCE / AMAZING GRACE / ROCK OF AGES / LET THE LOWER LIGHTS BE BURNING / IN THE GARDEN / THERE'S A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD / THROW OUT THE LIFE LINE / WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS]. The back cover is white with black text and features the same track listing, information about the songs and biographical information on Tharpe, as well as a list of [OTHER DECCA LONG PLAY RECORDS OF SACRED MUSIC] at the bottom. Inscribed dates are written in pencil after the track titles on Side Two: [April 10 / April 13-A] after "In the Garden," [Apr 17] after "There's a Fountain Filled With Blood," and [April 21] after "What a Friend We Have Jesus."

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1951
• Recorded by: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, American, 1915 - 1973
• Published by: Decca Records, British, founded 1929
• Manufactured by: Decca Records, British, founded 1929
• Type: record covers
• Type: long-playing records
• Medium: vinyl, ink on paper
• Dimensions: Diameter (record): 9 13/16 in. (25 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (album jacket): 10 1/4 × 10 1/4 in. (26 × 26 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Gospel (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Mass media
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2014.98.11ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gayle Wald
• 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.