Framed drawing of Howard Chapel Choir drawn by Julian Abele Cook Sr.: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A framed illustration of the Howard Chapel Choir drawn by architect Julian Abele Cook, Sr.

In graphite on off-white paper, the drawing depicts the interior of the Chapel at Howard University with one figure at the organ, one at the pulpit, and several seated behind the pulpit, all flanked by a thick wood paneled wall. A large, lantern-style pendant light hangs above the pulpit. An inscription at the top left, partially hidden, reads: “$6.9”. The drawing is set within a large white mat and a square, black wooden frame.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid 20th century
• Created by: Julian Abele Cook Sr., American, 1904 - 1986
• Subject of: Howard University, American, founded 1867
• Type: sketches
• Medium: ink on paper with glass and wood
• Dimensions: H x W (drawing): 6 1/2 × 9 1/2 in. (16.5 × 24.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (frame): 17 5/16 × 17 1/16 × 13/16 in. (44 × 43.3 × 2 cm)
• Place depicted: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Architecture
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Design
• Topic: HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
• Topic: Music
• Object number: 2021.95.12ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Peter Cook in honor of Julian Francis Abele and Julian Abele Cook, Sr.
• 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: © Estate of Julian Abele Cook Sr. Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.