Digital image of Ernie Fields and His Orchestra: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Digital image of a black-and-white photograph of Ernie Fields and His Orchestra. Fields is standing third from the right and holding a trombone while wearing a dark suit and striped necktie. Photograph depicts a group of people standing in a line on a stage. Band members wear plaid-patterned jackets with bowties and hold saxophones, trumpets, and guitars. A large sign above the stage reads [Ernie FIELDS]. Print in the margin at bottom left reads [ERNIE FIELDS AND HIS ORCHESTRA] and at bottom right reads [ERNIE FIELDS ARTIST / 1852 N. Peoria Avenue / Tulsa {illegible} Okla]. On back of photograph, handwritten in blue ink is ["Best Swing Band in America" / Ernie Fields, Tulsa bandleader, 3rd from / right holding trombone]. On back at top right, handwritten in red ink is [#23 / p 92].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: early to mid 20th century
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Ernie Fields, American, 1904 - 1997
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Owned by: Eddie Faye Gates, American, 1934 - 2021
• Type: portraits
• Type: digital images
• Type: digital media - born analog
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: File size (overall): 51.33 MB
• Place depicted: Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: American South
• Topic: American West
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Object number: 2014.117.40
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Eddie Faye Gates, Tulsa OK, author, historian, community activist
• 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: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.