Dean Dixon, American Youth Orchestra: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Black and white photograph of Dean Dixon by Arthur Leipzig. Dixon is in the center of the image facing the camera. His arms are raised and positioned to conduct. Dixon’s eyes are looking down at sheets of papers spread out over the table in front of him. He is wearing a white pinstriped shirt, tie clip, and black belt and pants. The wall behind Dixon is covered in paper prints. There is a large graphic of the Unites States Capitol directly behind Dixon. Below this is a graphic of men with their back turned, knees bent, and raised arms. One man is in uniform. To the right of Dixon is the image of a city skyline. There are posters along the right wall, partially out of the frame. The top one has the image of a man walking up to a factory with the text [JOB AID]. The third poster has [G.I.] below its graphic. There are handwritten inscriptions on the reverse with the title and the work is signed.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1944-1949
• Photograph by: Arthur Leipzig, American, 1918 - 2014
• Subject of: Dean Dixon, American, 1915 - 1976
• Created by: American Youth Orchestra
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image and sheet): 11 1/2 × 8 7/8 in. (29.2 × 22.5 cm)
• Place depicted: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: United States History
• Object number: 2017.69.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Judith Leipzig in memory of Arthur Leipzig
• 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: © Arthur Leipzig Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.