Composite photograph of a man and Velma Middleton: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white composite image of an unidentified man and Velma Middleton. The man is depicted on the left side of the image. He is depicted from the waist up, in three quarters profile, with his head turned towards the viewer. He has a small mustache and his hair parted on the proper left side of his head. He is wearing a white collared shirt and his proper right arm is partially visible at his side. Middleton’s image is overlaid in a dark circle with softened edges in the lower right corner of the image. Middleton is depicted from the shoulders up, in three quarters profile, with her head turned towards the viewer. She is wearing a garment with a leaf pattern and a square neckline. There is a small framed decoration on the wall behind her. There are no inscriptions on the front or back of the image.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid 20th century
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Velma Middleton, American, 1917 - 1961
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 9 5/8 × 7 1/2 in. (24.5 × 19 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.46.25.116
• 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: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.