Joe Louis with wife and others, mid-1950s: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This black and white photograph depicts Joe Louis surrounded by a crowd of people. Seated at a table, Joe Louis wears a light colored three piece suit over a dark colored shirt with a light colored strip down the front. The woman sitting to his left wears a dark dress with a light colored fur wrap draped over her shoulders. She has a light colored hat with a large feather on her head, and her left hand rests in her lap. Three women sit next to and across from them. Behind Joe Louis are six men and a woman standing in a rough line. Three of the men wear dark suits and ties, three men wear light colored suit jackets or shirts, and the woman wears a light colored dress. There is a sign on the wall behind them that reads "George/ Shearing/ Quintet."

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1955
• Photograph by: Steve Jackson Jr., 1923 - 1999
• Subject of: Joe Louis, American, 1914 - 1981
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Subject of: Jimbo's Bop City, American, 1950 - 1965
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 7 3/8 × 9 7/16 in. (18.8 × 24 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 7 7/8 × 9 15/16 in. (20 × 25.3 cm)
• Place depicted: Fillmore, San Francisco, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Bebop (Music)
• Topic: Boxing
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Sports
• Object number: 2016.117.6
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Mary E. Jackson, Posthumously and Linda A. Jackson
• 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: © Linda A. Jackson Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.