Brenda, Miss Black Trans New York 2017: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A color photographic print portrait of the 2017 Winner of the BTIPS NY (Black Trans International Pageantry System of New York) Miss Black Trans New York, Brenda Milan, taken at the Ebony Ball in Manhattan in February 2017.

Milan is pictured from the hips up, standing against a dark grey background. She wears a long sleeve, black dress and his posing with her proper right hand on her hip. She is facing forward and looking to her right. Across her chest is a white sash reading [BTIPS NY MISS BLACK TRANS NEW YORK] in black text. Upon her head is a tall rhinestone tiara in an intricate design. There are no inscriptions, front or back.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: February 18, 2017
• Photograph by: Gerard H. Gaskin, Trinidadian American, born 1965
• Subject of: Brenda Milan, American
• Subject of: Black Trans Advocacy, American, founded 2012
• Subject of: Black Trans International Pageantry System, American, founded 2012
• Printed by: Light Work, American, founded 1973
• Type: portraits
• Type: inkjet prints
• Medium: ink on Canson Baryta photographique paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet) : 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image) : 19 × 12 5/8 in. (48.3 × 32.1 cm)
• Place captured: Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Gender
• Topic: Identity
• Topic: LGBTQ
• Topic: Music
• Object number: 2019.71.33
• 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: © Gerard Gaskin Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.