Chromogenic print of Run-DMC in neon tracksuits: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A color photograph of the members of Run-DMC wearing colorful track suits.

The image depicts Run-DMC, (left to right) Jam Master Jay, DMC, and Run, in front of an interior window. Jay is sitting on the windowsill, his arm around DMC. He is looking at the camera and smiling widely. He wears a neon pink track suit with wide bands of purple at the shoulders and elbows and collar. The jacket is unzipped so that a black t-shirt and large gold helix chain necklace with a large medallion of a shoe are visible. DMC stands with his arms down in front of his body. He wears a black brimmed hat, black sunglasses, a black t-shirt, black pants, a gold watch on each wrist, and large gold rings on each hand. Next to him stands Run, with his proper right hand on the windowsill and his proper left hand in his pocket. He wears a pink neon tracksuit with an orange band across the chest and orange around the collar. The collar is open partially, with a white t-shirt and large gold chain visible underneath. Both DMC and Run look away from the camera and are not smiling. The window frames and walls in the background are white. The view outside the window is not in focus, but a black column is visible in the middle.

The print is signed by the photographer in the bottom right corner of the image. There are no inscriptions on the back.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1989
• Photograph by: Ernie Paniccioli, American, born 1947
• Subject of: Run-D.M.C., American, 1981 - 2002
• Subject of: Jam Master Jay, American, 1965 - 2002
• Subject of: Darryl Matthews McDaniels, American, born 1964
• Subject of: Rev. Run, American, born 1964
• Type: chromogenic color prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: dye and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 11 × 13 15/16 in. (27.9 × 35.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 10 1/2 × 12 1/2 in. (26.7 × 31.8 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2015.132.260
• 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: © Ernie Paniccioli Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.