Juba (Dance): Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Eight page sheet music booklet for “Juba” (Dance) from the suite "In The Bottoms," composed by R. Nathaniel Dett. Printed in black ink on off-white paper, the front cover features a circular inset illustration of a banjo player, dancer, and another individual. The text reads [As / played by the / world renowned pianist / Percy Grainger / “Juba” / (dance) / From the Suite / “In the Bottoms” for the Piano / by / R. Nathaniel Dett / Price 60¢ / NET SCHEDULE / CHICAGO / CLAYTON F. SUMMY CO. / WEEKES & CO LONDON]. The interior pages features one full page of text on "In The Bottoms," written by R. Nathaniel Dett followed by five interior pages of printed sheet music. The back cover is a horizontal sheet music for songs published by Clayton F. Summy Co.

The front cover has a pencil inscription on the top left corner [4.5] with an orange circular sticker with black ink [129] to the right of the inscription and in the top right corner is a handwritten ink inscription [Evelyn Baldura / Jan. 7/28/]. The back cover has a pencil inscription in the top right quadrant [10].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1913
• Published by: Clayton F. Summy Company, American, 1894 - 1988
• Composed by: R. Nathaniel Dett, American, 1882 - 1943
• Subject of: Porter Grainger, American, 1891 - 1955
• Type: sheet music
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Closed): 11 1/16 × 14 in. (28.1 × 35.6 cm)
• Place printed: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Folklife
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Ragtime (Music)
• Object number: 2014.37.45.18
• 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 displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.